Rhubarb and Custard Brioche Tarts

All I can say is thank god our tastes change and develop as we get older. As a child I winced at the sharp, almost sour rhubarb we grew in the garden, only happy to eat it when topped with a layer of crumble and accompanied with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Coming from the rhubarb triangle, its a real place I swear look it up, this comes close to treason in the minds of my fellow Yorkshire folk. To be fair to my childhood taste buds this was not the wonderful forced rhubarb I adore today it was thick, woody and with no hint of pink. Thankfully these days I cannot get enough, it brightens up those cold winter months, a shining star in a world of grey. When it comes to rhubarb no one does it better than Yorkshire, home of the best forced rhubarb in the UK. Forcing is a process of growing rhubarb in dark huts which speeds up the growth resulting in beautifully thin and tender stalks of rhubarb with that delightful pink blush we all associated with rhubarb.

I know the web is full of recipes declaring they’re the best, the ultimate, the best darn recipe you will ever make so I will say this as even handed as I can manage, these are utterly delicious, sorry I couldn’t help myself, they’re just too good not to shout about from the rooftops, you need to make these, I implore you. The combination of rhubarb and custard is a well trodden path, reaching classic status for sure. To add another element I infused the custard with a selection of my favourite things that just so happen to pair wonderfully with the rhubarb. A handful of fresh ginger, a sprinkling of ground cardamom, a couple star anise and of course a healthy dose of vanilla, which all meshes together to give the custard a flavour worthy of the rhubarb that sits atop it. 

I have been making a version of these tarts (or buns I’m still not sure what to call them) for years, a blueberry topped version appears on the paperback cover of my book Patisserie Made Simple and is the version I made most often, but this new rhubarb brioche is definitely the only one I am making from now on. 

Rhubarb and Custard Brioche Tarts

Brioche
180g plain flour
180g strong bread flour
30g caster sugar
1 tsp fine salt
85ml whole milk, cold
7g dried fast action yeast
3 large eggs, plus one for glazing
150g unsalted butter, diced
Pearl sugar, for decoration

Spiced Custard
250ml whole milk
thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 star anise
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
20g cornflour
25g unsalted butter, diced

Roasted Rhubarb
250g rhubarb
20g caster sugar
juice of 1 orange (I used a blood orange)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the brioche place the flours, sugar salt and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer and briefly mix to combine. Add the milk and egg and then knead of low/medium speed for about 10 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add the butter and piece or two at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Knead for a further 10 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl and smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight. 

Note: the butter doesn’t want to be soft or warm but not cold from the fridge either, it needs to be pliable but still a little cool, when mixing we don’t want to warm up the dough, otherwise we’ll end up with a greasy dough.

Prepare the custard now too as it means come the morning when you assemble the tarts there is little work to do. Place the milk, flavourings and half the sugar into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for an hour or so to infuse. After an hour bring the milk back to a simmer. Meanwhile whisk together the sugar and cornflour (doing this will prevent the cornflour going lumpy). Add the egg and yolks and whisk until smooth. Pour in the milk and whisk to combine. Pour the custard back into the pan, through a fine mesh sieve to remove the flavourings then place the pan back on the heat. Whisking constantly, cook the custard until it is thick, almost the consistency of wallpaper paste. Scrape the finished custard into a bowl, add the butter and mix until fully combined. Press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until needed.

In the morning take the brioche from the fridge and divide into 10 equal sized pieces. This can be done by eye or by weight, which is my preference. Form the brioche into balls and then flatten into discs, about 11-12cm wide. Use these discs of dough like pastry to line 10cm loose bottom tart tins, the excess of the dough will go up the sides as if making a tart shell. Place these onto a parchment lined baking tray and lightly cover with clingfilm or a tea towel, setting them aside for about an hour or until the dough has risen and is puffy, if you gently press the dough with your hand it should spring back very slowly, if it springs back fully it needs a little extra time. 

As the brioche proves we can work on the rhubarb. Cut into little battons, about 7cm wide and place onto a baking tray, sprinkling with the sugar, pouring over the orange juice and vanilla. Bake at 180C (160C fan) for about 10-12 minutes just until starting to soften. The baked rhubarb doesn’t want to be fully cooked as it will go back in the oven atop the brioche but it needs to be on its way. Set aside until the brioche is ready.

To assemble remove the custard from the fridge and beat to loosen a little. Brush the edges of the brioche with a beaten egg and then fill the middle of each tart with custard, topping each with a few stalks of rhubarb. Finish by sprinkling the exposed edge of the tarts with pearl sugar which will give a nice look and added texture. If you can get hold of pearl sugar you can use any bake proof sugar you like, be it sanding sugar, demerara or coffee crystals. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the exposed brioche is golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool.

You can serve the brioche still slightly warm or room temperature which ever you prefer. These are best on the day made but you can also serve them a couple days after baking, gently reheating in  the oven will make them feel fresh again.  

Almond Paste Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

A lemon poppy seed cake? is it the 90’s again? I guess 90’s nostalgia has a place in food as well as fashion and a lemon poppy seed cake was one of the first things I remember making in the late 90’s when I was getting deeper and deeper into my baking obsession. Funnily I don’t think I have made one since, which is strange as I love the combination but maybe I relegated it to the more mundane, the more run of the mill recipes that once checked off my list im done with, relegate to the back of the cupboard? Regardless, here it is again, made after a request from my boyfriends mum for her birthday I couldn’t find the poppy seeds in time for her birthday so you guys get the full package but she had to make do with just lemon).

For the recipe im using something I’ve had bookmarked for the longest time, from the first Tartine cookbook, yeah I’ve had it bookmarked for a very long time, that book came out in 2006! The reason the recipe intrigued me was the use of almond paste. As a lover of all things almond it’s a little surprising I’ve never used almond paste in a cake batter like this, probably since it’s not exactly easy to come by in the UK, marzipan being the default almond vehicle you find here in supermarkets. Lets just get this straight, this cake is worth finding the paste, the texture it gives is sublime, I would go so far as to say it is my ideal cake texture, moist enough that it doesn’t necessarily need frosting and a cake that stays fresh for at least four days.

For those who may have thought that almond paste and marzipan are the same thing here is a quick primer. Marzipan is generally lower in almonds than its counterpart, its normally composed of sugar and almonds, mostly also come with some egg white and glucose too but it normally only has 25-35% almonds so its a pretty sweet confection. Almond paste is much higher in almonds, normally at least 50%. Generally it also only has sugar and almonds, nothing else needed. Marzipan might be easy to use to cover cakes, or model with but almond paste is better inside a cake as the egg white can dry out the paste making it tough and chewy. Whilst almond paste might not be available in UK supermarkets it’s still pretty easy to get a hold of. Try Ocado, Amazon, or for my favourite Skandi Kitchen also sell it online and in their London store (they also happen to be the cheapest stockist). The one thing to avoid is anything labeled as 100% or pure almond paste, this is actually more of an almond butter and not the same product.

Almond Paste Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Adapted from ‘Tartine’ by Elisabeth Prueitt

Makes 1 large loaf cake (see note below)

Almond Paste Cake Batter
95g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 heaped tablespoons poppy seeds
5 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g almond paste
200g caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, room temperature
zest of 3 lemons

Lemon Simple Syrup
juice of 2 lemons
100g caster sugar

Candied Lemon Peel
2 lemons
caster sugar (see recipe)

Lemon Glaze
juice of 1 lemon
185g icing sugar
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and lightly grease, and line with parchment paper, a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

For the batter mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds, setting aside for the moment. Add the almond paste, in small pieces, into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed, with the paddle attachment, for a few minutes to soften. Add in the sugar a little bit at a time, mixing until the almond paste breaks down into a coarse crumbly mixture. If you do this stage too quickly and not allow the almond paste to break down into a coarse crumb, you risk the finished batter having lumps. Add the butter a couple pieces at a time. Once all of the butter has been incorporated and a paste like texture has formed, add the lemon zest and up the speed to medium and cream together for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Adding the lemon zest at this stage rather than folding in with the dry ingredients helps to draw out the oils making the finished cake more flavourful.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. Once all the eggs have been mixed in remove the bowl from the mixer, add in the dry goods and mix by hand until evenly combined. Scrape the finished batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until the cake springs back to the touch or a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes whilst you make the simple syrup.

To make the syrup juice 2 lemons and add the same amount of sugar, by weight, to a saucepan along with the juice. Cook over medium heat for a couple minutes or until the juice has come to a simmer and the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan or a piece of parchment. I like to use this cake upside down but do as you prefer. Using a skewer or toothpick prick the cake all over and then brush the syrup all over the top and sides of the cake. Allow the cake to cool fully before glazing.

I know topping the cake with the candied zest is gilding the lilly a little but I love the look and the slight bitterness and the texture adds a nice counterpoint to the cake, but feel free to leave it off if you prefer. To make it slice off the top and bottom of the lemon and then cut into wedges. Carefully slice away the flesh of the fruit leaving just the pith and peel. cut each wedge into thin strips. Place the strips of lemon peel into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, then drain off the water and repeat with about 750ml water, simmering for 30 minutes this time. Drain the water as before but rather than discarding we need to measure how much we are left with. Add the water back into the pan with an equal amount of sugar, by weight, along with the peel (for me this meant roughly 350g sugar). This time we want to simmer the mixture for about 20-25 minutes or until the peel becomes slightly translucent, meaning it has absorbed enough of the syrup is properly candied. During this process be careful not to cook the peel too long as it will become too soft, losing any texture, I like mine to still have a little bite. Strain off the syrup (keep for when you need a simple syrup - great for cocktails) and allow to cool for a couple minutes. Toss the pieces of peel in a bowl of sugar, making sure to coat fully then place onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once fully cooled store in a sealed container in a dark cool spot.

For the glaze mix the juice of 1 lemon with just enough icing sugar to form a thick but pourable glaze, adding a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness a little. Pour the glaze onto the top of the cake and use a spoon to tease it over the edges so it drips down the side. Top the cake with some of the candied peel (it makes more than you need but if your going to go to the lengths to actually make some you might as well make a little extra). Finish with a little sprinkling of poppy seeds.

Kept covered this cake keeps particularly well, at least 4 days.

Note: The loaf pan needed for this cake is a little bigger than the ones most people will have at home so if this is the case simply use enough batter to fill the pan about 3/4 full and then use the rest to make a few cupcakes, think of them as the chefs testers!

Wild Garlic Quiche Lorraine

Post Sponsored by Doves Farm

After rye and spelt what other ancient grain flours are out there to try? If you’ve been following my recipes for a while you might know I am also a big fan of buckwheat, but today we are using a flour that’s totally new to me, Khorasan or Kamut as its also known (Kamut is the trademarked name of Khorasan wheat). I wanted to try making a pastry as I find it’s always a great test of how a flour works, how well it absorbs moisture, if it can be overworked and if needs extra binders to hold together.

To test the flour I made multiple batches of pie dough changing the amounts of khorasan in the recipe, from 20% up to 100%. My favourite dough was made with 1/3 plain flour and 2/3 khorasan. It was easy to work with and had a great level of flavour from the khorasan. 100% khorasan works fine but didn’t taste significantly better than my end pie dough where using a little regular plain helps make a great tasting pie dough thats easy to work with. The grain is very fine and absorbs a little more moisture in pie dough than regular plain flour and it has a wonderful malty, buttery flavour that tastes almost caramelised in the pastry, it’s absolutely delicious.

Khorason/Kamut Flour Pie Dough
50g Doves Farm Organic Plain Flour
100g Doves Farm Organic Stoneground KAMUT® Khorasan Wholemeal Flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
5 tbsp ice cold water

Filling
3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk for the pastry
200ml double cream
100ml whole milk
250g pancetta, cooked until crisp
75g gruyere, grated
45g wild garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of nutmeg

To make the pie dough mix together the plain flour, khorasan flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss in the flour to coat. Rub the butter into the flour until it is in large flakes, you don’t want to rub in like you would for say a crumble, the flakes of butter makes for a nice flaky pastry.

Drizzle in the water a couple tablespoons at a time, tossing together with the flour mixture. Once all the water is added you should be able to gently press the dough together, forming a uniform disc of dough. Wrap in clingfilm or a beeswax wrapper (great if you’re reducing your usage of plastic) and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. 

When chilled, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worksurface until just over 10 inches in diameter then roll back onto the rolling pin and unroll into a 9 inch pie plate (I prefer metal or glass). Trim the excess dough so that the overhang is about an inch long. Fold the excess dough under itself so that it forms a thick rim around the outside of the pie plate. Use your preferred method to crimp the pie and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. 

Line the pie with a piece of crumpled parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake in an oven preheated to 190C (170C fan) for about 20 minutes or until the crimped edge is golden. Carefully remove the parchment and the rice and place back into the oven to bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the base is fully baked. As the filling is a wet custard brush the inside of the pie with a lightly beaten egg yolk. Bake for another minute or until the yolk is set. This will help keep the pastry crisp whilst the filling bakes. Remove and set aside whilst you prepare the filling. Reduce the temperature to 180C (160C fan).

Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk then add the pancetta, gruyere, wild garlic and nutmeg along with some freshly grated black pepper. Pour the custard into the baked pie shell and grate over a little extra cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the outside of the custard is set and the centre is still a little wobbly. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Quiche is best served on the day made but you can refrigerate it for a couple days if needed. 

Best Ever Rye Chocolate Brownies

Post Sponsored By Doves Farm

Last week’s recipe, the tahini and chocolate cookies, may well have been your first introduction to the perfect pairing of chocolate with rye flour (or maybe it was my crinkle cookies) but today, with the help of Doves Farm (LINK), we’re taking this magical combination to its logical conclusion, brownies! Rye flour is another example of an ancient grain, and another of my favourites. Rye might be more well known as the flour used to make dark, flavoursome loaves of bread most often associated with Scandinavian baking but using it in sweet recipes adds a wonderful depth of flavour not found with regular wheat flour - malty and nutty. Rye happens to be lower in gluten (though not gluten free) which helps makes these brownies extra tender and because of the added flavour coming from the rye, these have a deeper more interesting flavour. But even if you like good old fashioned brownies don’t worry you’ll still love these, they’re just..well..better. 

When it comes to choosing your flour you have two types of rye, white and wholewheat, just as with regular wheat flour. And just as with wheat flour the choice of which you use will affect the flavour. Personally I almost always use the wholewheat variety as it has so much more flavour and in these brownies it is competing with a strong flavour in the form of chocolate, so the nuances would just be lost with white rye.  

Rye Chocolate Brownies

175g Doves Farm organic wholemeal rye flour
50g cocoa powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
200g unsalted butter, diced
300g dark chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids)
150g caster sugar
220g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Lightly grease, and line with parchment, a 9x13 inch brownie pan.

Into a large bowl sieve together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. The main reason for this is to remove any lumps of cocoa but there will also be a little bran from the rye flour left at the end. This can either be added to the dry goods or omitted, depending on your preference (it’s still quite finely ground bran so it doesn’t add much texture so I tend to leave it in, plus the bran has lots of flavour).

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water, and heat, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Remove and set aside for a few minutes.

Meanwhile place the eggs, sugars and vanilla into a large bowl and using an electric mixer whisk together for 3-4 minutes or until the eggs have increased in volume and the mixture is pale and fluffy. This whisking action helps to give the finished brownie a shiny crackly crust and the ideal dense and fudgy texture. With the mixer still running pour in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture, whisking until fully combined. Switching to a spatula pour in the dry goods and mix together just until everything is combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared brownie pan and spread into an even layer. As I think all chocolate recipes benefit from salt you can also add a little extra sprinkling of salt at this stage, in the form of flaked sea salt. This really helps to bring out all the flavours in the rye and chocolate and makes these brownies shine. You can omit this is you prefer, just don’t omit the salt in the batter as the finished brownies will taste flat and dull. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. The finished brownies will be puffed up a little but still gooey inside. As the brownies cool the mixture will sink back a little, creating the perfect dense fudgy texture we all love. Allow to cool at room temperature for an hour before transferring to the fridge for a couple hours to cool completely. Lift the brownies from the pan and use a sharp knife to cut into squares. The brownies are on the rich side, they are brownies after-all, so I tend to cut them into 16 small squares. 

Kept in a sealed container the brownies will keep for at least 4 days.