2020 KEEN YOUNG COOK FINALIST: JOSEPH DUCKETT

Rhubarb Tarts with Ginger & Caramel Sauce

"I chose this recipe because I wanted to demonstrate my knowledge of how to make puff pastry. Lately our recent topic at school has been on pastry and I really wanted to show off my skills. I also chose this recipe because of the seasonality of the rhubarb when it is in season it tastes a lot better due to it being more naturally grown as well as this the pricing of the fruit is cheaper. I also chose this dish because rhubarb is relatively low in sugar as well as containing lots of fibre."

Ingredients​

Rhubarb Filling:

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

• 1 tbsp creme fraiche

• 2 sticks of rhubarb

• 2 tbsp icing sugar for dusting

• 8 tbsp icing sugar for glaze

• 50ml water for glaze

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Puff Pastry:

• 125g strong plain flour

• 0.5tbsp fine sea salt

• 125g butter

• 75ml cold water

• Spare flour for rolling out

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Ginger and Caramel Sauce:

• 250g caster sugar

• 142ml double cream

• 50g butter

• 3 level teaspoons ground ginger

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​Method​

Tart recipe

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Roll the pastry out thinly and, using a plate or cutter, cut out 4 circles about 14cm in diameter. Use a slightly smaller cutter to cut a circle out of the middle and trim away the outside border, reserving these trimmings.

2. Lay the 4 circles on a baking sheet, prick all over with a fork and brush the edges with egg. Use the pastry trimmings to make a border around the edge like a vol-au-vent and press down gently with your thumb. Chill in freezer for 5 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix the demerara sugar with the crème fraîche and spread a thin amount over the base of each tart. Neatly arrange slices of rhubarb, overlapping in a floral pattern, over the crème fraîche, then dust generously with icing sugar. Bake the tarts for 20 mins until puffed up and golden. Leave to cool.

Puff pastry recipe

1. Sift 250g strong plain flour and 1 tsp fine sea salt into a large bowl. Roughly break 250g butter into small chunks, add them to the bowl and rub them in loosely.

2. Make a well in the bowl and pour in about two-thirds of 150ml cold water, mixing until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed.

3. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 7 minutes in the freezer.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a smooth rectangle.

5. Roll the dough in one direction only, until 3 times the width, about 20 x 50cm. Keep edges straight and even. Don’t overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect.

6. Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (to the left or right) and roll out again to three times the length.

7. Fold as before, cover with cling film and chill for another 7 mins before rolling to use.