The combination of rhubarb and frangipane is a delicious one. Rhubarb can be quite bitter so the sweetness of the jam and almond frangipane creates a wonderful mix of flavours.

I always look forward to forced rhubarb each season, its slightly sweeter than the summer rhubarb and has the most vibrant pink shade. This tart is based on one of my partners favourites, A Bakewell tart.

It basically consists of a tart with a layer of jam and then topped with frangipane. I made this one slightly different by adding some sliced rhubarb on top.

He doesn’t actually like rhubarb so I had to persuade him to try this and thankfully he really loved it.

You may have noticed that I have been baking so much recently, its purely out of the joy of it. I felt a bit bored of baking and started cooking more savoury dishes, but I seem to have found the love for it again.

I love making tarts, this is the second one I have made in the last two weeks, the other was a lemon chess pie, that I really need to share the recipe for too.

Adding fresh rhubarb on top means it takes a little longer to cook because the liquid from the rhubarb makes the frangipane a little harder to cook, but it really was such a delicious addition and worth the effort.

I added some mahlab, which is a spice made from ground cherry kernels often used in middle eastern cooking, I really love its flavour and it works so well with almonds.

I’m writing this post while laying on the bed at my hotel room in Marrakesh, I’m here on holiday with my grandma. We have only just arrived and I have a few hours before dinner so I thought I would get this post done for you. I’m so excited to travel around morocco and see all the sights and hopefully discover some new spices.

For the pastry

• 200g plain flour
• 110g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp. golden caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• (milk as needed)
• zest of a lemon
• pinch of salt

Method
In a bowl or in a food processor mix together the flour and butter (if making by hand rub the butter with the flour until it resembled bread crumbs) add the sugar, salt and lemon zest and mix then add the yolk and mix, if more liquid is needed add a little milk until it comes together. press into a ball and let rest for twenty minutes.

preheat the oven to 180c 350f.
Roll out on a floured surface and line a tart dish, press off cuts together and roll out again.
Cut into long thin strips and braid together. Brush the edge of the tart with a beaten egg and place on the braids. Place a sheet of baking paper in the tart and fill with baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 15 minutes. (leave oven on while you make frangipane

For the jam (make day before or use shop bought jam)

• 5 large stalks of rhubarb
• 3/4 cup ginger syrup (see the recipe for the syrup here or if you don’t want to make your own syrup then add a thinly sliced piece of ginger approx. 30g)
• 1 & 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla pod

Slice the rhubarb into small chunks, add into a pan with the water and ginger syrup and vanilla and boil for about 20 minutes until the rhubarb has broken down. Add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Let the mixture come to a rolling boil and reduce for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and jammy.

pour into a sterilised jar and leave to cool.

Frangipane

• 125g caster sugar,
• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature ,
• 1 egg and one egg yolk,
• 125g ground almonds,
• 1 tsp almond extract,
• 1tsp mahlab (optional they taste fab with out this)
• 1 tbsp. of freshly grated lemon zest,
• pinch of salt.

Method

• Beat the butter and sugar on low speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
• Add the egg, and mix for 2 minutes. Then scrape the bowl with a spatula and add the yolk and beat again.
• Add the almond extract and lemon zest.
• Mix in the ground almonds, salt and mahlab until incorporated.

Making the tart

Take the cooled tart case and spread a layer of the jam at the base. Then top this with a layer of the frangipane and smooth out, cut 4 long stalks of rhubarb at an angle, two pointing one way and the other two the opposite so that they fit together in a herringbone pattern.

Add some flaked almonds around the edge and bake for about 35/45 minutes until the frangipane has set NOTE (this could take longer or shorter cooking times depending on how deep the tart dish is) It took me nearer to 50 minutes, so I covered the edges with foil after 30 minutes so the pastry didn’t burn.

Once the tart is cooked and the middle is set remove from the oven and brush the rhubarb with a little of the jam, brushing carefully just onto the rhubarb. Dust with icing sugar to finish.