Tarte à la Rhubarbe... à la Isla

    
     By now most of my friends and neighbors know, if it is early in the morning and there is a knock on their door, most likely it's me asking, "do you have toast?"  This has been the case since my kitchen demolition.  In my attempts to get away from the incessant hammering and drilling, Pipi and I have found ourselves roaming the neighborhood and looking for signs of life, the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing, and... a place to escape to. 
     One of our favorite destinations is Isla and Jeff's kitchen.  They are always welcoming and seem truly happy to see us when they hear the knock and find us on their front step.  In addition to the morning toast (and sometimes freshly made biscuits with butter and jam!), I got a phone call last week in the late afternoon, asking me if I'd like to stop by for a slice of just-baked rhubarb tart.  And, it just wasn't any rhubarb tart; it was Paul Bocuse's Tarte à la Rhubarbe, rhubarb tart.  If you can get a copy of the cookbook, Bocuse's Regional French Cooking, you'll be treated to stunning photos and regional French dishes, including several recipes for savory French tarts; something I'm always searching for.  Below is Isla's adaption of Tarte à la Rhubarbe.

                             Tarte à la Rhubarbe
                                  A recipe by Paul Bocuse  | adapted by Isla

Pastry:
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 egg
• plus 1/2 cup sugar (suggested by Isla)
Filling:
• 4 large ribs rhubarb (Isla suggests using more)
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• more sugar, 1-2 tablespoons flour (suggested by Isla)
1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center and add the oil, a tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition to incorporate it into the flour.
2.  Slowly stir in the water.  Add the egg and beat well.  The dough should be relatively moist.
3.  Do not let the dough rest, but turn it into a buttered 10-inch tart pan, and using the fingertips or the back of a spoon, spread it out evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan.
4.  Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
5.  Trim and peel the rhubarb, stripping away the large fibers  Cut the ribs into 1-and-1/2-inch lengths and spread them evenly over the tart shell.
6.  In a mixing bowl, combine the egg and sugar, and beat until the mixture turns a light lemon yellow.
7.  Turn the egg and sugar mixture into the tart shell, spreading it out evenly.
8.  Place in preheated oven and cook for about 35 minutes.
                                                 Serve warm or cold

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