This easy rhubarb slice recipe celebrates the tart nature of fresh rhubarb, being sweetened only with orange juice and sultanas (and no added sugar!)
This recipe was originally written in 2013 and has since been updated.
Rhubarb is a wonderful plant to grow if you have the room. It’ll happily fill a corner of your garden and keep the weeds away. And every Spring you’ll be greeted by these massive stalks of edible fruit with a tart, almost sour flavour.
In my mind, the flavour is one to be celebrated. And whilst you can certainly douse this recipe in sugar (and I’ll let you know further down how to sweeten it if you’d prefer), I beg you to try this rhubarb tart recipe as is the first time you make it. And see if you can appreciate the tartness (or not!)
How to make a Fresh Rhubarb Slice
1/ bake the fruit
Today I’m using shop bought rhubarb as my plant has been ravaged by the family over the past few weeks!
When you buy stalks of rhubarb, the ends can get a little dried out and crusty looking.
So simply take a sharp knife and slice them off.
Lay the stalks out in a baking dish and scatter over the sultanas.
Next, roll the oranges back and forth across your kitchen counter to release the juice.
Then squeeze the juice over the fruit.
This can now be baked in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the rhubarb has softened.
Once softened, and the sultanas have swollen up in the orange juice, put the tray to one side whilst you bake the pastry sheet.
2/ bake the pastry shell
I’m using a ready rolled pack of puff pastry that weighs 375g.
Unroll it out onto a baking sheet.
Take a small, sharp knife and score about an inch on from the sides all the way round.
Try not to cut all the way through the pastry.
Next, take a clean fork and pierce inside of the scored line repeatedly.
When you’re all done your sheet of pastry should look something like this…
Place the baking tray into the oven and bake until it’s puffed up and a gorgeous golden brown colour.
3/ assembling the rhubarb slice
Take the slices of cooked rhubarb and lay them out over the pastry. Be sure to keep inside of the scored line – the outside of the score line will become the rim, or the crust of the tart.
Any smaller pieces of rhubarb will likely have collapsed.
That doesn’t matter, just lay it all out on the pastry shell.
Scatter the plumped up sultanas over the rhubarb slices.
I’m using a fork to do this so I can keep as much of the fruit juice in the pan as possible.
4/ making the sauce
Pour the fruit juice into a small pan.
Mix the cornflour and cold water together in a small bowl, then pour this into the pan of fruit juices.
Stir or whisk whilst heating gently until the juices have thickened into a loose gel.
If you wish to sweeten your rhubarb tart a little, you could add some sugar at this point. Start off with a tablespoon, and go from there.
A dark brown sugar would be delicious, but any would work just fine. Honey or maple syrup would also be tasty.
5/ pour over the rhubarb tart
Spoon over the fruity sauce, keeping it within the centre of the tart.
I chose to chill my tart in the fridge before serving, but you could serve it immediately if you prefer.
Feel free to serve with whipped cream, custard or ice cream for an extra treat.
- 400 g rhubarb - stalks only
- 150 ml orange juice - from oranges, or a carton
- 125 g sultanas
- 375 g puff pastry - ready rolled
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 2 tsp cold water
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F)
Clean and trim the rhubarb to fit into a baking dish.
Sprinkle over the sultanas.
Measure out the orange juice from freshly squeezed oranges, or from a carton.
Pour this over the rhubarb too.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and the sultanas have become swollen and juicy.
Unroll the sheet of puff pastry and use it to line a baking tray that measures roughly 38cm x 25cm.
Use a small, sharp paring knife to carefully score around the edge of the pastry, about one inch in.
Use a fork to pierce the pastry sheet all over, keeping inside of the score line (see pics above).
Bake the pastry sheet for around 20 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and is looking golden brown.
Remove the pastry from the oven.
Press down the pastry inside of the score line with the back of a fork.
Carefully lay out the rhubarb slices in the middle of the pastry. If your rhubarb has collapsed in the oven, don’t worry, just spoon it all over and spread into an even layer.
Top the rhubarb evenly with the sultanas.
Pour the fruit juice from the baking dish into a small saucepan.
Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat.
In a smal bowl, mix together the cornflour and cold water, and pour that into the hot pan.
Stir constantly until the juices have thickened into a loose, pourable gel.
Pour the gel over the fruit in the centre of the rhubarb slice.
Serve immediately, or chill to serve later.
Charlie says
Morning Janie!
Usually I like my fruit as is and unadulterated.
This is so simplistic, that I have to try it, plus it looks so so good.
I’ll just leave the icing off and enjoy to my heart’s content.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Jane Sarchet says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it Charlie :)
Janie x
Tammy/Our Neck of the Woods says
Oooh, this looks delicious! My grandma is a huge fan of rhubarb so I always get some for her if I find some :)
Jane Sarchet says
Will it grow in your area Tammy? It is so worth planting some up.
Janie x