Rhubarb Galette with Orange Frangipane

This post is brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill.

There is only deliciousness happening in the form of this whole grain rhubarb galette today – no April Fool’s pranks and jokes here, promise.

Today marks the first rhubarb recipe of 2016, and I can’t tell you how excited that makes me. Nothing indicates the beginning of spring as much as those first fresh stalks of rhubarb. I spied some at our grocery store a few weeks ago and my mind has been churning with recipe ideas ever since. After dismissing rhubarb (my mom ate it all the time) the first ten years of my life, I’m making up for lost time.

As much as I love a good fancy tart, galettes (a fancy term for a free-form tart) are totally more my style. They’re laid back, rustic, and very forgiving. If you’ve been intimidated by homemade pies or pastries, start with galettes. You’ll thank me later.

Extra bonus points? They require very little baking equipment. You just need your hands and a trusty sheet pan. Ok, and technically a rolling pin.

Whenever I’m brainstorming new dessert ideas, I always start with the focal ingredient and work my way out. This makes it easier to bake seasonally and use ingredients that I already have on hand.

In this case, the focal ingredient is the galette filling. Lots of fresh rhubarb and orange frangipane. Since rhubarb is fairly self-explanatory, let’s talk frangipane (pronounced: fran – guh- pan). Where do I even begin?

Technically, frangipane is a dessert filling made with ground almonds, butter, eggs, and sugar. But oh my gosh, it is so much more than that! I fully came to appreciate frangipane in culinary school. We used it constantly in various applications and its ability to transform any number of desserts never ceased to amaze me.

You can flavor frangipane any number of ways. I chose to make mine an orange frangipane, since I happened to have some oranges in my fridge and orange pairs wonderfully with rhubarb!

The starting point for any frangipane recipe is very finely ground almonds, aka. almond meal/flour. Almond flour is made from skinless, whole blanched almonds that have been ground to a very fine texture.

Whenever I’m baking, I always work with Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/flour. The texture, flavor, and quality is unparalleled.

Not only does almond meal lend a buttery, delicate almond flavor to baked goods, but it also happens to be incredibly nutritious. Almond meal is full of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and vitamins – and in many cases, it can often be used in place of regular flour, or at least a certain percentage of it.

I pretty much keep a bag of almond meal in my freezer at all times (this helps prolongs the shelf-life, especially if you’re not going to use all of it immediately) for baking purposes.

In this case, you’re going to be using the almond meal to make both the frangipane filling, as well as the galette dough, which is made from a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and almond meal.

A double dose of almond meal for an extra boost in almond flavor, nutrition, and general merriment!

After the dough has chilled and been rolled out, the frangipane filling is spread in a center of the dough. It is then topped with the rhubarb filling – a simple combination of chopped rhubarb and granulated sugar.

Finally, the crust is brushed with a simple egg wash and decorated with sliced almonds and a sprinkling of sugar. Technically, you could skip the sliced almonds – but I love the added texture they provide.

I also love when desserts give a visual clue as to what is in them! Aka, frangipane and love.

I prefer to bake this galette until the crust is golden brown (50 to 60 minutes), because it lends the final dessert even more flavor.

Once baked, the crust has almost an almond cookie-like flavor and texture, and the sweet frangipane filling contrasts with the tart rhubarb. The galette tastes great on its own, but is also fantastic with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

If you’re looking for more almond meal recipe inspiration this spring and summer, be sure to try this sour cherry berry crisp or this blueberry loaf cake. They are two of my favorites!

Rhubarb Galette with Orange Frangipane

4 stars (2 ratings)

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Yield: 6 - 8 Servings

Prep: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour

Total: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

A delicious rustic galette is filled with orange frangipane and fresh rhubarb! This galette crust has an almond cookie-like flavor and texture, and the sweet frangipane filling contrasts with the tart rhubarb. Serve on its own or with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream. Try to seek out the pinkest rhubarb stalks if possible!

Equipment

• Magimix Food Processor

Ingredients

Galette Dough:

• 1 cup (140 g) Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup (60 g) Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/flour
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (4 oz; 115 g) ery cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons ice water

Orange Frangipane:

• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
• ½ cup (60 g) Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/flour
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• pinch kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (2 oz; 60 g) unsalted butter softened
• 1 large egg
• ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fruit Filling:

• 1 lb (450 g) fresh rhubarb, green leaves discarded sliced into ½-inch-thick pieces
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar

Assembly:

• 1 large egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon water
• ⅓ cup raw sliced almonds
• granulated sugar for sprinkling

Instructions 

• Make the Galette Dough: In a large food processor, combine the flour, almond meal, salt, and baking powder. Pulse several times to combine the ingredients. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the butter pieces are slightly larger than the size of a pea. Add the ice water slowly and process until the dough is crumbly and just beginning to form a ball Transfer the dough to a clean countertop and knead gently until the dough comes together/ Press the dough into a disc, wrap well in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• Make the Frangipane: In a clean food processor bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest. Rub the orange zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the almond meal, all-purpose flour, and salt. Pulse several times to combine. Add the softened butter, egg, and extracts. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until assembly.
• Bake the Galette: Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). In a large bowl, combine the sliced rhubarb and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Allow the fruit to sit as you roll out the dough.
• Make the Egg Wash: in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water, and set aside.
• Assemble the Galette: On a lightly floured countertop, roll the dough into roughly a 12-inch diameter circle – don’t worry if the edges are a bit rough and scraggly. The dough should be slightly less than ¼-inch thick. Work quickly to keep the dough from warming too quickly, moving it on the countertop and lightly flouring it as necessary to keep it from sticking. Transfer the dough to the lined sheet pan. Spread the cold frangipane in the center of tart, leaving a 1½-inch border on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the rhubarb mixture onto the top of the frangipane filling, leaving any liquid behind in the bowl.
• Fold and pleat the exposed edges of the dough over the fruit filling, leaving the center exposed. Make sure the edges don’t have any openings or exposed cracks to ensure that the fruit filling doesn’t escape or leak during baking.
• Brush the exposed edges of the dough with egg wash. Press the sliced almonds onto the crust, and sprinkle the exposed crust with granulated sugar.
• Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the edges of the tart are golden brown. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully slide the parchment paper and tart onto a cooling rack. The galette will slice cleanly, but is delicate, so it is best kept on the parchment paper. Cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Galette is best served warm the day of baking with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
• Storage: Galette can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, but is best served warm the day it is baked.

Tips for Success:

• Seek out firm and sturdy rhubarb stalks. Pinker, darker rhubarb stalks will lend themselves to more visually appealing baked goods, but the color of rhubarb does not impact the flavor at all and greener stalks will work just as well.
• Rhubarb leaves are toxic, so if your rhubarb stalks come with leaves, be sure to remove and discard them before using.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 500kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 320mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 17g

Author: Laura / A Beautiful Plate

Course: Pies, Tarts, and Pastries

Cuisine: American

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that I love and use in my kitchen!