Sweet, Tart, and Hot: Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Streusel Tart

I really enjoy making tarts. They tend to look quite fancy and yet are often relatively easy to put together. So I couldn't resist making a tart when I was in my rhubarb-baking phase earlier this month. I decided to try the "Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Streusel Tart" from Fine Cooking because I was intrigued by the combination of rhubarb and ginger.

While this recipe requires a few steps and a bit of time, the tart is really just three components: a ginger crust; roasted rhubarb; and a ginger streusel. To make the roasted rhubarb, you macerate large slices of rhubarb with sugar and a little salt at room temperature, and then roast the mixture in a foil-covered pan. I reduced the accumulated pink syrup down to a quarter cup (I had more than a half cup to start).

I made the streusel and the crust while the rhubarb was in the oven. The streusel is simply a mixture of coarsely chopped rolled oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, ground ginger, salt, melted butter, and crystallized ginger. You make the crust by combining flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, salt, and melted butter. There's no need to roll out the dough; you just press it into a buttered, fluted tart pan. After freezing the crust for half an hour, you bake it until golden brown. While the crust is still warm, you assemble the tart by filling the crust with the roasted rhubarb, drizzling on the reduced syrup, and adding all of the streusel on top. My syrup had thickened as it cooled and was the consistency of jelly, so I had to reheat it briefly to be able drizzle it onto the rhubarb. Then I baked the tart until the streusel was browned and the syrup was bubbling.
After the tart was completely cooled I didn't have any trouble releasing it from the  pan. It sliced easily and cleanly, yielding pristine slices. This tart turned out perfectly, with a nicely baked crust that remained crisp, a generous layer of tart rhubarb, and an indulgent topping of buttery streusel. The ginger flavor in the crust and in the streusel was quite pronounced, with the bits of crystallized ginger in particular delivering intense heat.

I think this might be the first time I've combined ginger and rhubarb and the combination is really different and interesting -- the tart was sweet, tart, buttery, and hot, all at the same time. All of the contrasting flavors and textures made the tart very satisfying, and my tasters loved it -- even several who professed not to like rhubarb. The beautiful dessert delivered on all fronts.

Recipe: "Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Streusel Tart" from Fine Cooking.

Previous Posts:

Comments