“As much as you might associate rhubarb with puddings and nursery fare, don’t be fooled: this is very much a savoury business, and also very much a ‘grown-up’ dish,” says food writer Skye McAlpine.

“To go with it, you only need a salad: I can’t resist pairing this with a similarly pastel-hued salad of blush-pink radicchio rosa or dark red bitter chicory.

“One warning: this works best with long, thin, furiously pink rhubarb stems, rather than fatter ones, which take longer to cook and can taste a little too sharp.”

Rhubarb and Cheddar tart

Ingredients:(Serves 4-6)

325g sheet of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry1 egg, lightly beaten250g mascarpone2tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese400g thin stems of bright pink rhubarb1tbsp caster sugar130g Cheddar cheese, gratedSmall bunch of thymeSea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and unroll the sheet of pastry on to the tray. Use a sharp knife to score a two to three-centimetre border around the edge, then prick all over the centre part with a fork.

2. Brush the pastry edge with the egg, then line with baking parchment and baking beans. Blind-bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until dry to the touch and lightly golden at the edges. Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes or so.

3. In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone with the Parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper. Spoon the mascarpone over the middle of the tart, and spread it out as evenly as you can. If the pastry is puffed up in the middle, don’t worry, just press it down gently with your hands and spoon the mascarpone on top. Cut the rhubarb into long-ish pieces, roughly 16 centimetres long, and arrange them snugly, side by side like soldiers, over the mascarpone. Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb, then top with the grated Cheddar. Lastly, scatter over a few thyme leaves.

4. Set in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the rhubarb is tender. Serve warm.

A Table Full Of Love by Skye McAlpine is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Photography by Skye McAlpine. Available now.