I was grocery shopping and the most vibrant rhubarb caught my eye. The stalks were SO uniformly red and beautiful. I often get inspired at the store or market, with no advance plan but seasonal ingredients are my favorite impulse buy. I decided to use the rhubarb as a topping for this panna cotta tart that I tweaked slightly here. The rhubarb was roasted with sugar, lemon and vanilla bean before arranging them in a herringbone pattern on top of the tart. They become nice and tender but still have some bite. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Sablee Crust:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cold water, plus extra if needed
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1″ cubes
Panna Cotta:
1 1/8 tsp. (1/2 package) unflavored powdered gelatin
3/4 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise. Save 1/2 half for rhubarb.
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 lemon zest strips, each 2-3 inches long
1 1/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Roasted Rhubarb:
9 oz rhubarb, cut into 2″ pieces
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions:
For the crust:
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla and water until combined. Set aside.
In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter pieces are the size of small peas. Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture while pulsing until the dough just starts to come together. It should clump slightly. If it’s a bit crumbly and dry, add an extra teaspoon or so of water, until it holds.
Transfer the dough to your counter and bring together to form a round disc. Flatten to about 1″ thick. The flatter the disc, the more quickly the dough will chill and the easier it will be to roll out. Let chill for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Let the dough sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your room, to soften slightly before rolling. It should be cold but pliable. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 1/4″ thick circle. If at any point it gets too soft, place the dough onto a sheet pan and place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before resuming.
Fit the dough into a 9″ tart pan. Place into the freezer for 15 minutes or until firm. Then line with parchment, fill with pie weights and bake for 20 minutes or until the top of the dough appears dry. Remove the parchment and weights and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan.
For the filling:
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of the milk. Let stand without stirring until the gelatin is moistened, about 10 minutes.
Pour the remaining 1/2 cup milk into a small saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk, then add the pod. Add the sugar and the zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat. Add the gelatin mixture and stir until completely dissolved, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool until lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and zest. Whisk in the yogurt until well blended.
Pour the panna cotta mixture into the cooled tart shell. Place in the refrigerator until set, approximately 4 hours.
For the topping:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a medium bowl, toss together the rhubarb, sugar, scraped vanilla bean (save the pod), lemon juice and zest.
Spread onto a sheet pan. Add the vanilla pod. Roast for 10-12 minutes. The juices will start to seep out and the rhubarb should have softened but still hold their shape. Let cool completely in the pan juices. Place in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Once the panna cotta filling has set, arrange the rhubarb pies on top of the tart. Drizzle the juice from macerating, over the surface of the tart. Any remaining can be drizzled on individual slices. Serve immediately.
Serves 8