Rhubarb Crumble Tart with Orange Shortbread Crust; and spiked with a bit orange juice with the rhubarb. Winning combination? My rhubarb aficionado (the daughter) gave a resounding YES!
I was never a huge fan of rhubarb, but the addition of orange really brightened up the flavor. Taste-a-vision, smell-a-vision, it’s all there.
The shortbread crust gets it color and flavor all with the zest of one orange. As you can see, it turns it a beautiful orange-yellow! Once the dough is mixed (much like cookie dough), it’s pressed by hand into a tart pan (ceramic or metal). And even though it’s pre-baked, unlike blind baking, there is no need to place foil and weights on the crust. It’s shortbread so therefore it doesn’t bubble up like pie crust.
This is also the same crust used for Rosemary Lemon Tart, replacing rosemary with the orange zest of course.
Stir the chopped rhubarb, orange juice, cornstarch and sugar to coat and spoon onto baked shortbread. Next, sprinkle on the crumble topping.
Place your rhubarb crumble tart in the oven and bake for 40 minutes at 350 F.
The crumble topping crisps up while the rhubarb and orange bake in sheer and utter happiness.
Now, that’s a rhubarb crumble tart worth diving into! As you take the tart out of the oven it will be bubbly with with red-pink bursts of rhubarb. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool enough to start chomping down. Now, if you are more of a cherry person, check out Cherry Vanilla Rhubarb Pie!
The zest in the shortbread crust keeps that beautiful orange color and the flavor is superb! Sweet, sour, orange, crispy, and tender crust.
Top a warm slice with some vanilla ice cream and you have a perfect fruit dessert that screams summertime!
Rhubarb Crumble Tart with Orange Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
Orange Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup flour (or gluten free flour)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- zest of 1 medium to large orange
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
Rhubarb Orange Filling
- 4 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, Clearjel, or tapioca starch
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
- 1/2 cup pure cane brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup butter (softened to room temp)
Instructions
Orange Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Add the sugar to a large bowl. Zest the orange and stir well with the sugar.
- Using a hand-held electric mixer (I like KitchenAid), beat the butter, egg into the sugar & orange zest, for about 1 minute to mix.
- Continue using the mixer and beat in the flour. It will be stiff like cookie dough.
- Spray a 10-inch ceramic or metal tart pan and press into the tart pan by hand, if it is a little sticky dust your fingers with some flour to get the dough as even as possible.
- Pre-bake crust for 15 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and set aside while preparing filling and crumble topping.
Rhubarb Filling & Crumble Topping & Assembly
- For the crumble, using a for, stir together the brown sugar, flour, quick oats. Add the softened butter and stir until the mixture is combined. It will be the consistency of a heavy cookie dough, set aside.
- In a separate bowl combine the rhubarb, orange juice, cornstarch and sugar.
- Spoon the rhubarb mixture, including all liquid, over the pre-baked crust.
- Layer the crumble topping over the top. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 F.
