This traditional British Rhubarb and Apple Lattice Tart is made with a shortcrust pastry and filled with sweet dessert apples and homegrown rhubarb. Lightly stew chunks of rhubarb and place very thinly sliced apples on top. A decorative lattice pastry top is flavoured with a hint of ground ginger.
Serve while still warm with hot, Thick Homemade Custard, that really hits the spot on a cold, miserable, wet day.
Rhubarb and Apple Lattice Tart
I have flavoured this shortcrust pastry with a little ground ginger. The result is mild; feel free to add more ginger for a stronger flavour. You can add some ginger to the stewed rhubarb, but don’t overdo it.
You can prepare the filling first by stewing the Rhubarb and preparing the apples while the pastry rests in the fridge or baking blind in the oven.
Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients I used to make this recipe, with possible alternatives and why I may have used them. A complete list of ingredients and full instructions can be found in the Recipe Card below. Or click the 'Jump to Recipe' button at the top of this post. Tip: Always read through a recipe before you start, to ensure you have all the ingredients and understand the method.
For the Pastry
- White Spelt plain flour - or any plain white flour.
- Pinch of salt - only enough to hold between your thumb and finger.
- Ground Ginger - Feel free to add more to create a stronger flavoured pastry.
- Butter - fridge cold, cut into cubes
- Trex - fridge cold, cut into cubes (vegetable baking fat)
- Egg - Medium sized, free range and organic if possible
- Cold water.
For the Filling
- Fresh or frozen Rhubarb - cleaned and cut into chunks.
- Dessert apples - These have a more natural sweetness to them, and are less tarte than baking apples
- Honey - Runny or set honey
- Cornflour - Plain white flour is fine.
- Demerara Sugar - for the topping
Method
Make the Filling
Follow these steps to make a Rhubarb apple tart sweetened with honey.
- Step 1: Gently stew the Rhubarb with the honey until softened but not mushy.
- Step 2: Remove the Rhubarb from the heat and drain it into a small dish, leaving the juice in the pan.
- Step 3: Sprinkle the cornflour over the rhubarb juice left in the pan. Mix vigorously over a very low heat until the juice has thickened and there are no lumps.
- Tip: You could make a paste with the cornflour by adding a little cold water before adding it to the Rhubarb juice. This will help reduce lumps.
- Step 4: Take the pan off the heat, add the pieces of stewed Rhubarb back into the pan, and carefully fold them into the thickened juice until all the Rhubarb is covered. Leave to cool. Taste and add more honey if needed.
- Step 5: Core the apples, leaving the peel on, and cut into very thin slices. Place the slices in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from going brown. Drain and then pat dry with a clean tea towel before adding them to the tart.
Make The Shortcrust Pastry
You can make this Ginger spiced shortcrust pastry for any fruit tarts, ahead of time, including the blind baking.
Step 1: Place the flour, salt, ground ginger, butter, and Trex in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Step 2: Add the egg and the water and mix until you have a smooth, firm ball of dough.
- Tip: Do not add all the water all at once. Only add enough to bring the dough together to a smooth dough.
Step 3: Flatten the dough a little and wrap it in cling film. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: Grease the base and sides of an 8-inch (fluted) tart tin with softened butter.
Step 5: Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of nonstick baking parchment. The pastry should be rolled out large enough to cover the base and sides of the tin, with a little leftover for a decorative pastry top.
Step 6: Carefully line the prepared tin with the pastry, neatening the corners, and press the pastry firmly into the sides of the tin.
Pass a rolling pin over the top to remove surplus pastry easily. Prick the pastry base with a fork, cover it with baking parchment, and return it to the fridge to rest for 10 - 15 mins.
- Tip: Leave the covered pastry in the fridge overnight if you want to bake the next day.
- Tip: Any leftover pastry can be frozen to use another day. e.g. to make small tarts.
Preheat the oven to 200 C deg fan-assisted oven.
- Please note. All ovens are different and will bake at different temperatures. Invest in an oven thermometer to check it periodically.
Blind Baking
Follow these steps for blind-baking shortcrust pastry for fruit tarts.
- Step 7: Remove the pastry tart from the fridge and pour in some baking beans, ensuring they cover the base of the baking parchment.
- Step 8: Place the pastry tart in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 20 minutes. When baked, it should begin to feel dry to the touch. Remove the baking parchment and beans and return the tart to the oven for a few minutes to dry the pastry further. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little.
Turn the oven down to 180C deg (fan-assisted oven)
Baking the Tart
Step 1: Take the baked pastry tart and carefully arrange the stewed Rhubarb over the bottom. Arrange the apple slices on top of the Rhubarb. Did you remember to drain the apples and pat them dry?
Step 2: Roll out the leftover pastry and cut it into decorative shapes. Place over the top of the apples.
Step 3: Brush the pastry with milk and scatter with demerara sugar. Bake in the oven at 180C deg for 30 - 35 minutes or until the apples have softened and the pastry is cooked on the top with a light golden brown colour.
Serve with fresh, thick, homemade custard
Rhubarb and Apple Lattice Tart
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 300 g fresh or frozen Rhubarb cleaned and cut into chunks.
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 2 dessert apples
- 1 Tablespoon Demerara Sugar for the topping
For the Pastry
- 200 g White Spelt plain flour or any plain white flour
- Pinch of salt only enough to hold between your thumb and finger
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger. Feel free to add more to create a stronger flavoured pastry.
- 50 g butter fridge cold, cut into cubes
- 50 g Trex fridge cold, cut into cubes (vegetable baking fat)
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon cold water.
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Step 1: Gently stew the Rhubarb with the honey until softened but not mushy.300 g fresh or frozen Rhubarb cleaned and cut into chunks., 2 tablespoon Honey
- Step 2: Remove the Rhubarb from the heat and drain it into a small dish, leaving the juice in the pan.
- Step 3: Sprinkle the cornflour over the rhubarb juice left in the pan. Mix vigorously over a very low heat until the juice has thickened and there are no lumps.1 teaspoon cornflour
- Tip: You could make a paste with the cornflour by adding a little cold water before adding it to the Rhubarb juice. This will help reduce lumps.
- Step 4: Take the pan off the heat, add the pieces of stewed Rhubarb back into the pan, and carefully fold them into the thickened juice until all the Rhubarb is covered. Leave to cool. Taste and add more honey if needed.
- Step 5: Core the apples, leaving the peel on, and cut into very thin slices. Place the slices in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from going brown. Drain and then pat dry in a clean tea towel before adding them to the tart.2 dessert apples
Make The Shortcrust Pastry
- Tip: You can make the pastry ahead of time, including the blind baking.
- Step 1: Place the flour, salt, ground ginger, butter, and Trex in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.200 g White Spelt plain flour, Pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon ground ginger., 50 g butter, 50 g Trex
- Step 2: Add the egg and the water and mix until you have a smooth, firm ball of dough.1 medium egg, 1 teaspoon cold water.
- Tip: Do not add all the water in one go. Only add enough to bring the dough together to a smooth dough.
- Step 3: Flatten the dough a little and wrap it in cling film. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 4: Grease the base and sides of an 8-inch (fluted) tart tin with softened butter.
- Step 5: Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of nonstick baking parchment. The pastry should be rolled out large enough to cover the base and sides of the tin, with a little leftover for a decorative pastry top.
- Step 6: Carefully line the prepared tin with the pastry, neatening the corners, and press the pastry firmly into the sides of the tin.
- Pass a rolling pin over the top to remove surplus pastry easily. Prick the pastry base with a fork, cover it with baking parchment, and return it to the fridge to rest for 10 - 15 mins.
- Preheat the oven to a 200 C deg fan-assisted oven.
Blind Baking
- Step 7: Remove the pastry tart from the fridge and pour in some baking beans, ensuring they cover the base of the baking parchment.
- Step 8: Place the pastry tart in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 20 minutes. When baked, it should begin to feel dry to the touch. Remove the baking parchment and beans and return the tart to the oven for a few minutes to dry the pastry further. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little.
- Turn the oven down to 180C deg (fan-assisted oven)
Baking the Tart
- Step 1: Take the baked pastry tart and carefully arrange the stewed Rhubarb over the bottom. Arrange the apple slices on top of the Rhubarb. Did you remember to drain the apples and pat them dry?
- Step 2: Roll out the leftover pastry and cut it into decorative shapes. Place over the top of the apples.
- Step 3: Brush the pastry with milk and scatter with demerara sugar. Bake in the oven at 180C deg for 30 - 35 minutes or until the apples have softened and the pastry is cooked on the top with a light golden brown colour.1 Tablespoon Demerara Sugar
- Serve with fresh, thick, homemade custard using this recipe.
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