Rhubarb Tart

I saw this recipe on Epicurious the other day, and it looked so pretty that I wanted to try it.  I also liked what someone had suggested about some pastry cream underneath the rhubarb, so I figured I'd play around with a little frangipane underneath.  Total success, because the sweetness of the almond frangipane offset some of the tartness of the rhubarb. Though, testing the straight-rhubarb vs the frangipane, I sort of liked the tarter one.  Maybe you could make a less-sweet frangipane, but really, I hate to admit this... the epicurious recipe was best when left alone. Crazy!

You start with a sheet of puff pastry. Roll it out, and then layer on the rhubarb (over the frangipane, if you're using that).  For frangipane, I creamed 1/2 stick of butter with 1/4C of granulated sugar, dumped in one egg yolk and 1/2C almond flour, and a dash of almond extract and a pinch of salt. Should make a loose cookie dough consistency.  That was enough for half the puff pastry (which was half the box of puff pastry).  Do be sure to slice the rhubarb at an extreme angle, as the bigger your pieces of rhubarb, the prettier your tart. Also, try to remember to leave a little space between the pieces of rhubarb, so that the puff pastry gets a chance to puff.

The syrup was easy to make, and easy to apply. This was the first time I'd ever used my new pastry brush! Very fun.  Sort of. 

Anyway, after baking, brush on the reduced syrup, and then consume within the first half hour or so - I found that the next morning, while still delicious, the tart was a little soggier.

Tart with frangipane on the left, without on the right. Both delicious!