Rhubarb Tarte Tatin

I’m really blessed to live close to an organic farm, and I do most of my grocery shopping there. Everything they have is premium quality, seasonal (how else?), and the service one gets is amazingly friendly.

Sometimes, like yesterday, even too much so. Let me explain. I asked if they’ve got rhubarb yet. “Well, only in the garden, but let’s go and fetch some for you!” We went together to the garden, and the poor rhubarb plants were just tiny little babies! But they insisted in giving me as much as I wanted. I actually wanted to tell them I didn’t want any - just let the poor babies grow! - but didn’t find a polite way to protest. So I left the farm with about half of their rhubarb crop and one thing on my mind: these rhubarbs have to end up into something really, really, special.

And they did. I used them to bake this rhubarb tarte Tatin, and made some orange and white chocolate ice cream to go with. A match made in heaven.

Here’s what you need for the tarte Tatin:

For the dough:

• 100g butter


• 190g whole-grain spelt flour


• a pinch of salt


• a pinch of sugar


• 3 Tbps cold water

For the syrup:

• 120g sugar


• 3 Tbsp water

And:

• 350g rhubarb


• 30g butter, sliced

First, make the dough. Cut the butter in small cubes, add flour, sugar and a pinch of salt, if using non-salted butter. Work with your fingertips until the texture is like fine crumbles, then add water and work the dough into a ball. Place the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the caramel. Place sugar and water in a heavy pan. Heat, stirring from time to time, until sugar has melted and turned into golden brown caramel. Attention! This burns easily! Remove from heat and pour the caramel in a round cake tin (mine has a diameter of 26cm).

Now, wash and trim the rhubarbs. Cut them into sticks about 4-5 cm long. Arrange them nicely in the form. Place thef butter slices on the rhubarbs. Roll the dough out into a circle just slightly bigger than the form and place on top of the rhubarbs. Bake in a preheated oven (200 C) until the dough is golden brown and you see some juice bubbling on the sides.

Once out of the oven, let the Tatin cool about 5 minutes. Then flip it around on a serving plate – remember to wear oven gloves, it's still hot!

Serve warm with a dollop of ice cream – preferably Orange White Chocolate Ice Cream, the recipe of which will follow tomorrow.

P.S. You can use all-purpose wheat flour as well. Actually, I think it would be even better. But my family protested, saying it was so good exactly because of the spelt flour!

Rhubarb Sorbet with Rosemary

It’s double my favourite time of the year again! Both the rhubarb and the ice cream season have started - at least if you live in the right place ;) Here’s a recipe that will impress adults as well as kids, the latter provided you don’t exaggerate with the rosemary. “Tastes like Gummibärchen!” “Criminally good!” Just guess which comment was from my husband and which from my son…! I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful shade of pink – how can those mostly green stalks give this sorbet such a dazzling colour? A miracle…

Here’s what you need for 4-5 smallish portions:

• 400g rhubarb


• 1 twig of rosemary (a tiny one if served to kids)


• 500ml fresh water


• 100g sugar

Wash the rhubarb and, using kitchen scissors, cut into pieces (about 2,5cm long). Place in a pan with the rosemary twig and the water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the rhubarb is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain through a sieve (you don’t have to press, just let drain) into a smaller pan. Now add sugar and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Place in a jar or a plastic recipient with a lid and let cool to room temperature first, then refrigerate until cold (this took me about 6 hours in total).

Once cold, prepare the sorbet according to the instructions of your ice cream maker. With mine, it’s oh so practical: I put the ice cream maker to work just before I serve the main course, and by the time we’ve finished, the ice-cream/sorbet is ready! How convenient indeed!

Decorate with mint and serve right away.