Welcome to the end of March, bakers! How is your social distancing going- are you a master of maintaining a 6 foot distance from everyone else yet? It’s a strange new world out there right now, with emptier-than-usual grocery store shelves and abandoned strip malls. I hope you’re all staying safe and sane while we wait to flatten the COVID-19 curve. Thank you to all the essential workers out there keeping us healthy and as happy as possible during this time. Do you know what keeps me happy? Go figure, it’s finding an escape through baking. And when I was staring at those nearly-empty shelves last week, I noticed something wonderful: No one bought the rhubarb! The world may be going crazy but it’s springtime and there’s fruit and there’s gotta be something wonderful in that. Let’s make some tartlets.
Growing up in New England, rhubarb was everywhere. I remember breaking off stalks in friends’ backyards and dipping them into bowls of sugar to eat raw. It’s wonderfully tart and just tastes like the season of spring should. And when you pair it with strawberry, *smacks lips* oh my, it’s just wonderful. Is there anyone that doesn’t enjoy this combination? Yes, yes there is- my kids hate it. And so while I’d like to make a big old strawberry rhubarb pie, it’d go to waste long before I could finish it. Making little tarts is so much more manageable and the single serving size means it’s easy to have one with your morning coffee, another with your afternoon tea, and one for dessert after dinner. It’s Quarantine 2020, no one is judging you now!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
First of all, you’re going to need something to shape and bake your tartlet shell in. There are a lot of options out there, but I like the type that have a bottom that separates from the sides. The Gourmia six pack, available at Amazon, is a great value and makes the entire process really easy. It really is nonstick and holds up well in the dishwasher (I may be stuck at home all day, but I still don’t have time to hand wash dishes!).
Once you’ve got your tartlet pans, it’s time to make your tart shell. You can use preshaped/baked tartlets that just need to be filled, you can use refrigerated pie crust, or you can go with your own favorite pie crust recipe. For simplicity’s sake, in this recipe I’m using refrigerated pie crusts. Press your chosen crust type into the tartlet pans, making sure to follow the scalloped edges. Simply preheat your oven to 350 and bake them for about 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden. Allow them to cool completely before removing from the tartlet mold.
FILLING YOUR TARTLETS:
Your strawberry rhubarb filling is basically a compote- a mixture of fruit, water, and sugar, heated on the stove and cooked down until well combined. Allow the mixture time to cool on the stove to at least room temperature before filling your crusts. Alternatively, you can also stick the whole pot in your refrigerator and fill the tartlet crusts once the compote is cold. This will result in a more ‘curved’ top to your tart, rather than flat. It’s all about how you’d like to present them!
If you’ve filled your tarts with room temperature strawberry rhubarb, you’ll want to put them in the fridge for about an hour so that the compote can firm up before serving. I really like to garnish these tarts with some whipped cream- I get fancy about it by making my own and then piping it onto the tartlets with a #1M piping tip (the large open star) and I’ve included that recipe in this post as well. If you don’t have what you need for homemade, store bought will work just as well!
Strawberry Rhubarb Spring Tartlets
Ingredients
- 2½ cups fresh rhubarb choppped
- 1½ Tbsp water
- ½ Tbsp corn starch
- ½ cup sugar granulated
- 1½ cups fresh strawberries hulled and quartered
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare tartlet shells using your favorite dough recipe as described above, or unwrap store baked shells.
- Add all ingredients except the strawberries and vanilla extract in a large pot on the stovetop, mixing well to combine.
- Cook over medium heat until the rhubarb breaks down and the sugar - about 8 minutes.
- Add in the strawberries and vanilla extract and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. he strawberries should be very soft.
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool to at least room temperature. You can also cool the mixture in the fridge, which will result in a more curved filled tartlet shape.
- Fill the tartlet shells and chill for at least an hour before serving, garnish with whipped cream.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Chill a metal bowl or saucepan in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before beginning.
- Pour heavy cream into the chilled bowl and add the extract and sugar.
- Using the whisk attachment, beat on high for about 5 minutes or until fluffy.
Well, how did your tartlets turn out? I hope that you’re feeling a little bit of that spring optimism that we all sure could use right now. Make sure to let me know if you have any questions or thoughts by using the comment box below- or follow me on Facebook and interact with me in real time! Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and happy baking!
