Tesselated Rhubarb Tart
Base
½ cup butter, room temperature
¹/₃ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
¼ cup strawberry jam
Filling
8 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
Topping
1.5 pounds (24 ounces) rhubarb
¹/₃ cup sugar
2 cups water
Preheat oven to 350°.
Base
1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Blend in flour. Press mixture
into bottoms and sides of a 9-by-11-inch springform pan.
2. Warm jam in microwave for 30 seconds, and spread a thin
layer across base. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
Filling
1. Combine cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla and beat well. Spread over crust and jam.
Topping
1. Cut rhubarb into evenly sized rhombuses. Poach rhubarb in sugar dissolved in water for 2 to 3 minutes or until rhubarb just starts to soften. Remove rhubarb from sugar water and cool for 15 minutes. Keep the sugar water boiling down to a syrup to be brushed on after baking.
2. Carefully arrange rhubarb in tessellated pattern as shown in diagram below.
3. Increase oven temp to 400°. Use an edge protector or aluminum foil bent over edge to
prevent top of crust from burning.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 400°. Brush on reduced syrup to add a gloss and add color to the
finished tart. Carefully remove sides of pan
The rhubarb in this tart can be arranged in a pattern of your choice. If you want to re-create the tessellated pattern that graces our cover, baker and social media star Thida Bevington has you covered. She brings mathematical precision to her work and guides us through the design.
1. Create a template using a circle of
parchment paper folded in half and
then in thirds, or use a protractor
(we told you it was precise work!)
to achieve a 60-degree angle.
Selecting straight pieces of rhubarb,
cut along the 60-degree angle.
2. Measure the width of the rhubarb
along the cut.
3. Place rhubarb along your template and
cut a length the same size as the width
1. Start with 6 pieces to build your first
star near the center of the tart.
2. Choose 1 piece of that star to serve
as the anchor of the next star
1. Follow pattern to edge using a
ruler to make you’re keeping your
lines straight.
2. Cut pieces to fit at edges.
Behold this thing of beauty you
have created and marvel at your
own artistry.