I recently wrote about family-style dining for the Telegraph. It’s a style of serving food where bowls, platters and even cooking pots are plonked in the centre of the table for everyone to help themselves. It’s my favourite way to serve food. I don’t, therefore, make thumbelina tarts like these very often. The truth is they’re more work than making one big tart. But I find their diddiness appealing and a lovely way to celebrate the start of the rhubarb season.

It’s now the time of year (in the UK) when tender pink stems of forced rhubarb from Yorkshire start appearing in the greengrocers. This time last year I concocted a rhubarb jam cake (make the vanilla rhubarb jam at the very least, it’s amazing).

This year, I’ve gone for these celebratory tarts. I’ve pimped up a basic sweet pastry crust a little by adding cinnamon and ground cardamom to the dough. The filling is frangipane-style; I didn’t want almonds to overpower the rhubarb so I added a little flour to make the filling lighter and able to soak up the rhubarby juices.

The quantity of rhubarb compote in the recipe is probably just enough to accompany the 6 tartlets, but if you’re as fanatical about rhubarb as I am, do yourself a favour and make lots more than this. My favourite breakfast and snack at the moment is rhubarb compote served with a splodge of full-fat Greek-style yogurt into which I’ve beaten a splash of orange blossom water. Sprinkle over some crushed pistachios and you’ve got a bowl of deliciousness that’s pretty as a picture.

Rhubarb tartlets with a spiced crust and rhubarb compote

Makes 6 tartlets or 1 x 23cm tart For the pastry

• 180g plain flour
• 40g icing sugar
• 90g chilled butter, diced
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

For the filling and compote

• 110g butter, softened
• 65g soft light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1½ teaspoons orange blossom water
• 150g ground almonds
• 50g self-raising flour
• 500g trimmed rhubarb, chopped into 1cm lengths
• 8 tablespoons caster sugar
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

Blitz all the pastry ingredients except the egg yolks together in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and pulse to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough between sheets of floured greaseproof paper and cut out circles large enough to line the base and sides of 6 x 10cm mini tart tins (or use a 23cm tin if you prefer). You need the pastry to overhang the sides of the tins slightly to allow for a little shrinkage. Prick the base with a fork and chill for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Toss 200g of the rhubarb with half the sugar and all the orange zest and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs and 1/2 a teaspoon of the orange blossom water, then fold in the almonds and flour. Finally, fold the rhubarb into the batter.

Heat the oven to 180°C. Divide the rhubarb batter between the pastry cases, gently pushing it into the base of the cases and smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden.

While the tartlets are baking, make the compote. In a pan, combine the remaining rhubarb and sugar, along with the vanilla seeds and remaining orange blossom water (if using). Simmer, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has cooked down to the consistency you like. I like mine quite thick. Serve the tartlets warm, with the rhubarb compote and some whipped cream.