Rhubarb & Strawberry Tartlets

Cook Time 1 hour plus resting

Servings 4

Ingredients

400g rhubarb trimmed and cut into 5 cm batons

1 punnet of strawberries, hulled

60g caster sugar

Juice ½ orange

100g hazelnut meal

1 egg whisked  

Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Vanilla bean ice cream, to serve 

Rough puff pastry

350g plain flour

60g butter, cubed, chilled

⅓ - ½ cup water, chilled

140g butter, frozen

A pinch of salt

Method

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the 60g of cubed butter and rub using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add enough water to form a dough, mixing with your hands to form a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently knead, and then between two sheets of baking paper, roll the dough into a rectangle.

Grate half the frozen butter over the bottom ⅔ of the dough. Fold down the top third and fold up the bottom third, like folding a letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees and re-roll the dough into a rectangle. Using the remaining frozen butter, repeat the process of grating and folding. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. 

Meanwhile, prepare the rhubarb. Place the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and juice into a pan and over a medium heat simmer to soften the fruit for 5 - 6 minutes. Remove off the heat and cool at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Remove pastry from the fridge. And cut into 4 even pieces. Between two sheets of baking paper, roll out each piece of pastry to form a 15 cm discs. Prick pastry with a fork. Sprinkle centre with hazelnut meal and spoon over the rhubarb mixture leaving a 3 cm border.

Roughly pleat pastry over fruit, leaving centre exposed. Brush pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until golden and puffed.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of icing sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.