Rhubarb and meringue tart by Laurent Bichon

Laurent Bichon is a pastry instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. He has been trained with other great professionals, who have also left an indelible impression on him –Christophe Michalak while he was getting ready for the World Cup, in 2005 at the Plaza Athenee, Jerome Chaucesse at the Hotel Le Crillon and Olivierd Bajard from his school in Perpignan. The fond memories of these past experiences do not prevent him from fully enjoying his current teaching work, sharing his enthusiasm for learning a trade with his students from all over the world, and also, as we said, administering the warnings necessary to understand that a trade like that of a pastry chef cannot be learned in two weeks. It takes time and consistency. The idea behind this tart which he features in so good #24 is to replicate the taste of the rhubarb meringue tart. The oblong shape gives it a more graceful and lighter side than a classic rhubarb meringue tart. It is composed of poached rhubarb that provides acidity. The whipped vanilla ganache brings roundness and ties together all the ingredients for the tasting. The coulis adds freshness and a fruity flavor. The shortbread pastry gives a delicate touch.

The poached rhubarb strip technique makes tasting easy as well as decorating the tart at the same time. The technical side is also provided by the meringue, a decorative element, whereby the fruit purée incorporated into the meringue enhances the taste.

Rhubarb and meringue tart

Poached rhubarb

300 g rhubarb
114 g sugar
6 g pectin NH

Peel the rhubarb. Slice into strips on a mandolin. Cut the remaining rhubarb into cubes. Macerate the rhubarb cubes in sugar and pectin overnight. Drain and bring the juice to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Poach the rhubarb strips in the syrup, drain. Stamp out small dots from one of the strips, set aside. Add the rhubarb cubes to the syrup and cook for 15 minutes.

Whipped vanilla ganache

111 g whipping cream
3 g vanilla pod
3 g agar agar
75 g white chocolate
261 g cold whipping cream

Bring the cream and vanilla to the boil, add the agar-agar. Pour onto the white chocolate and mix to fold in the cold cream. Leave the ganache to mature for 12 hours before whipping.

Shortbread pastry

78 g butter, softened
30 g icing sugar
63 g flour T55
9 g corn flour (corn starch)

Mix together the butter and icing sugar. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Roll out to 2 mm thick and use the mold cutter to stamp out the pieces. Bake at 145°C for 25 minutes.

Strawberry coulis

30 g strawberry purée
30 g pear purée
15 g glucose
15 g sugar
3 g pectin NH
60 g strawberry purée

Heat to 50°C the strawberry and pear purées with the glucose. Add the sugar mixed with the pectin and bring to the boil. Add the 60 g of strawberry purée and mix.

Strawberry meringue

15 g powdered egg whites
189 g sugar
114 g strawberry juice
15 g inverted sugar
114 g egg whites

Mix the powdered egg whites with the sugar. Add the strawberry juice, inverted sugar and egg white, whisk to a meringue.

Decoration

Pink-colored sugar
Violet flowers
Rhubarb dots

Montage

Pipe the strawberry coulis into the molds, freeze. Repeat the operation with the poached rhubarb, freeze and finish assembling with the whipped vanilla ganache, freeze again. Position the frozen insert onto the shortbread pastry pieces and freeze. Wrap each tart in a strip of poached rhubarb and pipe strawberry meringue on top. Sprinkle lightly with pink sugar and decorate with violet flowers and rhubarb dots.