Before rhubarb season disappears in the blink of an eye and I have to wait to for another year before I can lay my hands on this beautifully-coloured plant, I needed to do more with it. Lily Vanilli's famous bakewell tart, with a rhubarb twist, was the bank holiday weekend solution.
Making this tart isn't recommended for the impatient, for those looking for an instant treat, for those with a busy day planned; there are many, many steps, many different parts to be created before the whole thing can be assembled. The whole process will take many hours.
When the pastry's in the fridge, the frangipane has been beaten, the rhubarb filling is syrupy and sticky, the rhubarb decoration is still holding it's shape, and the almond buttercream is light and sweet, only then can you get on with baking it. And even baking it consists of many steps: blind baking, egg washing and then sealing, baking with the filling in, and then leaving it to cool before decorating and - finally - eating.
So it was with legs up on the sofa late in the evening that we finally cut in to the tart. The bitter rhubarb contrasts with the nutty, spongey frangipane, encased in crusty pastry (no soggy bottom, don't worry Mary), and blobs of sweet buttercream come together to make all those many steps and stages totally worthwhile.
Recipe from Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth. You can find a video and a few parts of the recipe here.
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