Rhubarb & salted coconut tart
Coconut, lavender and bay leaf sounds more like a hair product to get rid of dandruff than a pastry, I realise writing it all down. I swear it doesn’t taste like a hair product, at least not any on my shelves.
While rhubarb and coconut are a classic for a reason, throwing herbs in takes it in a whole other, more aromatic direction. The depth of bay leaves and the herbaceous, floral lightness of lavender bring out the best in each other and combined with rhubarb is just beautiful. To be honest, this is one of my favourite rhubarb tarts I have ever made (sorry, vanilla).
Adding salt to coconut is something I have loved since first tasting salted coconut cream with mango or steamed tapioca dumplings in Thailand.
Here it balances the cloyingly rich sweetness of both coconut and white chocolate and plays up the slight savouriness of the bay leaves.
Rhubarb and salted coconut tarts
Makes six 10cm tarts
Lavender & bay leaf poached rhubarb
600g rhubarb
180g sugar
90g water
4-5 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried lavender
Salted coconut cremeux
400g coconut milk
2 sheets gelatine
80g egg yolks
300g white chocolate
1/2 tsp. salt
Sweet shortcrust
175g butter
100g sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
300g flour
25g almond flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Poached rhubarb
Preheat oven to 175C. Cut the rhubarb in 10-11cm batons and place in a single layer in a shallow roasting tray. Cover the rhubarb with sugar, water and spices and place a piece of baking paper on top of the rhubarb.
Poach the rhubarb in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (check for doneness by piercing the rhubarb with a sharp knife, they should be tender but still hold their shape). Remove from the oven and refrigerate overnight.
Salted coconut cremeux
Hydrate the gelatine leaves in cold water, set aside.
Finely chop the white chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat the coconut milk until steaming hot, and meanwhile whisk the egg yolks until light and airy. Pour 1/2 of the hot coconut milk over the egg yolks while whisking, return to the pan and heat gently until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Remove from direct heat, squeeze excess water from the gelatine sheets and stir into the custard until fully dissolved. Pour the hot custard over the white chocolate and use a hand blender to emulsify. Season to taste with salt.
Pass through a chinois or fine meshed sieve, transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until cold.
Sweet shortcrust
Combine butter and icing sugar at low speed. Scrape down the sides, add the egg and almond flour and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until just coming together. Gather into two balls, press flat and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least a few hours.
Roll out to 2-3mm thickness and line six 10cm tart rings with the dough, trim and freeze for 15 minutes. (Wrap and freeze leftover shortcrust for up to 2 months, always good to have on hand for semi-spontaneous cravings)
Preheat the oven to 170C fan. Bake the tart shell for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave the tart shells to cool.
Pipe the coconut cremeux into the cooled tart shells and smooth with an offset spatula. Cut the rhubarb batons diagonally and place cut side against each other on a chopping board. Use the tart rings to cut a “disc” of the rhubarb to fit on top of the tarts. Place the rhubarb batons on the tart and serve within a few hours.
Save any leftovers for ice cream toppings or serve with yoghurt for breakfast!