*PSST* YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS

Every now and then, I’ll stumble upon a recipe that just clicks and pulls me in. “That,” I’ll tell myself, “I need to make that.” I’ll become so intent, so stubborn on creating it that I can’t (and won’t) focus on anything else.

And that’s exactly what happened when I saw this Rhubarb and Brown Butter Tart on Zoe Bakes. The tart was stunning, with thinly sliced Rhubarb bursting in pink hues nestled in a rich brown butter filling. I immediately ordered the tart pan she used, bought some rhubarb, and got to it.

Adapting

But, Camille, it’s the middle of winter. Where am I going to get rhubarb?

Well, if the rhubarb is the hook, then the brown butter filling is the line and sinker. I found myself eating the filling by the spoonful as I waited for the dough to chill, it’s that good. It’s now my go to tart filling, and I’ve baked this exact tart with different fruit substitutions – peaches, apples, cranberries (which have a similar tartness to rhubarb), etc. So use it and adapt! The brown butter filling is the real star of the show. And I know that baking can be a little intimidating (with its exactness and seeming inflexibility), but there’s no need to color within the lines. Create different frames and drawings. Use watercolors when you’d normally use markers (aka use blueberries instead of rhubarb aka please don’t bake with markers unless they’re edible ink). You get it! You’ve got this!

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Rhubarb and Brown Butter Tart

This recipe is from Bake from Scratch. I followed Zoë François' take on it and made one giant tart instead of 12 individual ones. Definitely check our Zoe's Instagram, her instructional videos are amazing!

Servings 12 2½" tarts, or 1 13.75"x4.25" tart

Ingredients

for the pâte sucrée

• ½ cup plus 3 Tbsp (155 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 1/4 cup (227 grams) pastry flour, see note*
• 1/2 tsp (1.5 grams) kosher salt

for the brown butter filling

• 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp (16 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 large (100 grams) eggs

for the topping

• 2 cups (200 grams) thinly sliced rhubarb
• 2 Tbsp (24 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest

Instructions

for the pâte sucrée

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, and zest at medium speed until creamy (3 to 4 minutes) stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in egg. 
• Whisk together flour and salt in a separate bowl. Add the flour and salt to the creamed butter and sugar, beating just until it comes together.
• Shape dough into a long rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

for the brown butter filling

• In a medium saucepan, heat butter and vanilla extract over medium heat. Cook until butter turns a deep amber color and has a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and eggs. Slowly drizzle a little bit of the hot butter mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly (doing this makes sure that you don't cook the eggs with the heated butter). Slowly drizzle in more and more of the hot butter mixture, whisking constantly. Let cool to room temperature. Once mixture is cool, whisk once more before transferring to an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

preparing the tart

• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough so that it's ~1" larger than the tart pan. Transfer dough to the tart pan, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough. Transfer tart shells to prepared pan, and freeze for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Spoon the brown butter filling into the prepared tart shell. Carefully place the shingled sliced rhubarb on top of filling, and sprinkle with sugar and orange zest.
• Bake until filling is set and crust is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan completely before carefully removing.

Notes

• If you don't have access to pastry flour, you can use equal parts all-purpose flour and cake flour (e.g. 1 cup pastry flour = 1/2 cup ap flour, 1/2 cup cake flour). If you don't have access to cake flour, you can use 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with enough all-purpose flour to make a cup (e.g. 1 cup pastry flour = 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, 1 cup-2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour).