This Gordon Ramsay Rhubarb Tart Recipe is ready in about 20 minutes — roughly 5 minutes of hands-on prep and 15 minutes in a hot oven. It makes four individual golden tarts: crisp puff-pastry shells, neat rows of sharp pink rhubarb, and a secret almond layer hiding underneath, for about $3.50 a serving and roughly 440 calories a tart.
The recipe comes from Ramsay’s Ramsay in 10 series, where the whole idea is cooking against the clock. On camera he admits the tart bends his own ten-minute rule — he builds it in about 12 minutes — but the point stands: there is no pastry blind-baking, no creaming butter and sugar, no piping bag. It is a weeknight-speed British dessert built on one good shortcut and smart technique, served with orange mascarpone and toasted almonds.
The shortcut is the part I love most: a block of marzipan, frozen solid, grated straight over the raw pastry like cheese. As the tarts bake, it melts into a thin almond layer that tastes exactly like homemade frangipane — without a minute of actual frangipane-making. That one trick turns a simple rhubarb tart into something that tastes far more impressive than it was to make.
Baked these tarts? Leave a comment below and tell us how they turned out — we read every single one.
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Gordon Ramsay Rhubarb Tart Recipe
By Yummy Recipe Ideas | No ratings yet
Course: Dessert | Cuisine: British | Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 tarts | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 15 min | Total: 20 min | Calories: ~440 per tart | Cost: ~$3.50 per tart
Quartered puff pastry scored with a juice-trapping border, layered with frozen grated marzipan and neat rows of pink rhubarb, baked golden and served with orange-zest mascarpone and salted toasted almonds. Makes 4 individual tarts.
Gordon Ramsay Rhubarb Tart Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven: Set the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a large rimmed baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Score the pastry: Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut it into 4 equal rectangles. With a sharp knife, score a line about 1/2 inch in from the edge of each rectangle — this scored border is the moat that traps the rhubarb juices. Prick the inside of the scored area all over with a fork so the base stays flat, then lift the rectangles onto the prepared tray.
- Grate the marzipan: Working straight from the freezer, finely grate the frozen marzipan over the inside of each rectangle, spreading the shards evenly right up to the scored lines. Frozen marzipan grates into clean, dry shards that melt into an even almond layer in the oven.
- Lay the rhubarb: Cut the rhubarb stalks into lengths that fit inside the scored borders and lay them in neat, snug rows over the marzipan. Do not peel the rhubarb — the skin holds the pink color and much of the tart flavor.
- Glaze and bake: Brush the scored borders with the beaten egg (use just the yolk for a deeper, more golden glaze) and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the rhubarb and pastry. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender and the pastry is puffed and deep golden.
- Toast the almonds: While the tarts bake, toast the sliced almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, until fragrant and lightly browned. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and tip onto a plate.
- Whip the mascarpone: Beat the mascarpone with the powdered sugar and half of the orange zest until smooth and lightly billowy — just a minute or two, and stop before it goes grainy.
- Serve: Transfer the hot tarts to plates, scatter with the toasted almonds and the remaining orange zest, and add a generous dollop of orange mascarpone alongside each tart. Serve right away while the pastry is still crisp.
Ingredients
For the tarts:
- Butter or cooking spray, for the tray
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (about 8 to 9 oz), thawed
- 1 1/2 oz block marzipan, frozen solid
- 3 stalks rhubarb (about 12 oz), trimmed — do not peel
- 1 large egg, beaten (or 1 yolk only, for a deeper golden glaze)
- 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
For the orange mascarpone topping:
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup mascarpone (about 4 oz)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- Pinch of fine sea salt, for the almonds
Directions
- Heat the oven: Set the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a large rimmed baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Score the pastry: Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut it into 4 equal rectangles. With a sharp knife, score a line about 1/2 inch in from the edge of each rectangle — this scored border is your “moat” that traps the rhubarb juices so they never run off and burn. Prick the inside of the scored area all over with a fork so the base stays flat, then lift the rectangles onto the prepared tray.
- Grate the marzipan: Working straight from the freezer, finely grate the frozen marzipan over the inside of each rectangle, spreading the shards evenly right up to the scored lines. Freezing the marzipan solid is the whole trick — soft marzipan clumps, frozen marzipan grates into clean, dry shards that melt into an even almond layer in the oven.
- Lay the rhubarb: Cut the rhubarb stalks into lengths that fit inside the scored borders and lay them in neat, snug rows over the marzipan. Do not peel the rhubarb — the skin holds the pink color and much of the tart flavor, and peeled rhubarb turns pale and flabby in the oven.
- Glaze and bake: Brush the scored borders with the beaten egg (use just the yolk for a deeper, more golden “royal” glaze) and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the rhubarb and pastry. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender and the pastry is puffed and deep golden.
- Toast the almonds: While the tarts bake, toast the sliced almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, until fragrant and lightly browned. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and tip onto a plate.
- Whip the mascarpone: Beat the mascarpone with the powdered sugar and half of the orange zest until smooth and lightly billowy — just a minute or two, and stop before it goes grainy.
- Serve: Transfer the hot tarts to plates, scatter with the toasted almonds and the remaining orange zest, and add a generous dollop of orange mascarpone alongside each tart. Serve right away while the pastry is still crisp.
FAQs
Do I really not peel the rhubarb?
Really — do not peel it. The skin is where most of the tart, fruity flavor lives, and it is what keeps the rhubarb that gorgeous pink-red color once it bakes. Peeled rhubarb turns pale and greyish in the oven and goes flabby fast, which is the opposite of what you want in a tart that is all about neat, jewel-like rows. If your stalks have any tough, woody ends, just trim those off; otherwise wash the stalks well and use them as they are. The same keep-the-skin logic applies elsewhere too — in our Gordon Ramsay Rhubarb Crumble Recipe, the roasted skins are what give the fruit its rosy color and sharp-sweet flavor. One caution: rhubarb leaves are toxic, so always remove every scrap of leaf before you start cooking.
How does frozen grated marzipan replace frangipane?
It sounds like a cheat because it is — and it works brilliantly. Traditional frangipane means creaming butter and sugar, beating in eggs, and folding in ground almonds: a solid 15 minutes of work before you even touch the fruit. Ramsay skips all of it. A block of marzipan frozen rock-solid grates like Parmesan into fine, dry shards; scattered over the raw pastry, those shards melt in the oven into a thin, buttery almond layer that tastes exactly like homemade frangipane. The freezing step matters: room-temperature marzipan is sticky and clumps on the grater, while frozen marzipan grates cleanly and distributes evenly. Use a fine-to-medium grater and work quickly before it softens. If you love the almond-and-citrus pairing here, our Gordon Ramsay Raspberry Souffle Recipe plays the same sweet-tart contrast in a whole different way.
Why does the recipe score the pastry instead of just folding a border?
The scored line — about 1/2 inch in from the edge — creates what Ramsay calls a “moat.” As the border puffs up in the hot oven, it forms a raised rim that traps the rhubarb’s juices inside the tart instead of letting them run off the edge and burn onto the tray. Pricking inside the scored line is the other half of the technique: it stops the base from ballooning up, so the marzipan and rhubarb sit level and bake evenly. One more pro touch from his video: glaze the border with egg yolk only instead of whole beaten egg. The yolk gives what he calls a “royal” glaze — a deeper, richer gold than whole egg can produce. It is a small detail, but it is the difference between a pale edge and a proper bakery golden one.
Can I use shortcrust pastry instead of puff pastry?
Yes — Ramsay himself says shortcrust is “equally as good.” The two give noticeably different tarts, so pick based on the texture you want. Puff pastry gives a lighter, flakier result with a dramatic risen border, which looks spectacular but softens faster once it sits. Shortcrust is sturdier and crisper for longer, holds the rhubarb’s juices better, and makes a tidier tart to transport. If you go shortcrust, change the technique slightly: skip the scoring and just crimp the edges up with a fork, since a shortcrust base does not balloon the way puff does, and you can skip the pricking too. Bake time stays about the same — 15 minutes at 400°F — until the pastry is golden and the rhubarb is tender.
Can I make these tarts ahead of time? How do they store?
Honestly, not well — this is a make-and-serve dessert. Puff pastry is at its absolute best within an hour or two of baking; once it sits, the rhubarb’s juices soften the base and that shattering crispness is gone. Bake the tarts the day you plan to eat them, and make only what you will serve. What you CAN do ahead: whip the orange mascarpone up to 2 days early and keep it covered in the fridge, toast the almonds a day ahead and store them airtight, and keep the marzipan block in the freezer permanently so it is ready to grate. Leftover tarts keep overnight in the fridge but reheat them in a hot oven — never the microwave — if you want any of the crispness back. If you need a British pudding that genuinely holds, our Gordon Ramsay Apple Pie Recipe reheats beautifully and is the better make-ahead choice.
How much does this rhubarb tart cost to make?
Roughly $13 to $14 for all four tarts, or about $3.50 a serving. The two priciest items are the frozen puff pastry (about $5.50 a box) and the mascarpone (about $3.50 for a small tub); the rhubarb runs a few dollars, and the marzipan, brown sugar, egg and almonds are pantry-level costs. That puts it in the same ballpark as a bakery tart that would cost you $16-plus — except you get four generous individual tarts that look like they came from a pastry shop. If you want an even cheaper dessert spread for a crowd, pair it with our Gordon Ramsay Banoffee Pie Recipe, which costs about $1.50 a slice and needs no baking at all — the two desserts together cover a whole party on a tight budget.
About the Author
Yummy Recipe Ideas — We test Gordon Ramsay-inspired recipes in a real home kitchen and rewrite them for US cooks: cups and tablespoons, honest timings, and step-by-step photos, so every dish works the first time you make it.
