The Tartlet Fiasco

Yesterday I embraced the domestic goddess within and spent all night making rhubarb tartlets. It took me an hour and a half to prepare them (on account of the rhubarb having to sit for an hour to soak up all the bloody sugar and then trying to find a substitute for brandy). Getting all excited about my culinary success, I placed them on the tray in a beautiful flower shape and opened up the oven. But why was the oven still cold? It had been on for 45 minutes. It is about 20 degrees in there. I would say it was probably colder in the oven than in the house. Ah yes, the oven was broken. Calling around frantically and keeping everyone up to date on my highly exciting wednesday night on facebook, I finally got a hold of an oven. Mother drove me over to taylor's house where I stood watching the tartlets in my pyjamas waiting for them to bake. Everyone there was getting dressed up all nice and pretty to go out on the town, offering me vodka and lemonade which I refused seeing as I would probably be sound asleep in bed in about an hour. Anyway, after all that the tartlets looked delicious despite a little bit of overflowing in the oven. May or may not have snuck a taste of one this morning. The verdict: definately worth all the hassel.

Here is the recipe if you have a working oven:

Rhubarb and Frangipane Tart
1/2 bunch rhubarb cut into 4cm lengths
1/2 cup caster sugar
6 prepared shortcrust pastry cups
90g unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon brandy (i used blackcurrant liquer)



1) Preheat oven to 180 C.
2) Mix together rhubarb and sugar in big bowl and let sit for an hour.
3)Place pastry cups in a beautiful flower shape on a baking tray.
4)Transfer rhubarb mixture to a saucepan and stir on low heat for sugar to dissolve.
   Let simmer for 3-4 minutes until rhubarb is soft and squishy and let cool.
5) Combine butter and sugar in a food processor. Add meal, egg and brandy.
6) Fill cups almost full with this mixture (they call it frangipane).
7) Top with rhubarb.
8) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the frangipane goes a little bit golden.