Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Strawberry and rhubarb. Was there ever a more dynamic pairing? Fresh tasting, sweet-tart and synonymous with early summer, it is a favourite at our house. Now, you can cook these two food-friends into a crisp, or a crumble, a buckle or a betty. You can spike your lemonade or iced tea with them, or have them straight up, warm from the garden or cool from the fridge (maybe with a quick dip in something sweet for the rhubarb). Whichever way you  bring them together, it’s glorious.

Possibly one of the most delightful things about this little tart is that it’s really nothing more than a quick jam poured into a cookie crust. No complaints here! Nothing could be easier and if you’re really out of time or energy, buy the crust, pre-made! So before it’s too warm to even think of cranking up the oven and before the strawberries are beyond their current juicy, rubicund perfection whip up one of these simple tarts and sit back, lemonade in hand, while your family and guests ooh and ahh. Feel free to smile smugly, I know I did.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart

The two components of this tart, the crumb crust and the jammy filling, can both be made ahead of time and kept separately, refrigerated, for a day or so before bringing them together. I prefer the tart at room temperature, but cold from the fridge would be lovely as well. Vanilla bean ice cream or a cloud of whipped cream makes a delightful accompaniment. 

For the Crumb Crust:

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter. In a large bowl,  add the butter to 1 1/2 cups of crushed graham crackers (from about 2 dozen crackers). Stir well; the mixture will be like damp sand. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie pan. Bake the crust until slightly darkened and crisped, at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

For the Fruit Filling:

4 cups strawberries; hulled and quartered

4 cups of rhubarb; chopped

zest of 1/2 a lemon

juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized, heavy bottomed sauce pan. Cook, over medium heat until the fruit is broken down and has reached a jam-like consistency.* If Pour hot fruit into the warm or cooled crust. Any extra fruit can be kept for up to 2 weeks in a well sealed container in the fridge.

Allow the tart to cool completely before serving or refrigerating.

*You may notice a fine foam atop the fruit. This may be skimmed, but will not affect the flavour or texture of the end product.

Strawberry Shortcake

Spring has decided to be fashionably late this year in Vancouver.  It’s May and it’s still very cool and wet. I could go on and on about it, but really, we are not facing radical weather like some parts of the world have lately, so really, I should be glad that all we have are soggy feet.

<Incidentally as I am writing this we are having a hail storm unlike any I have ever seen! I’m so glad we held off planting our tomato plants last night — they would have been crushed!>

Strawberries are just starting to arrive closer to our doorsteps here. (Less from Mexico, more from California or hot house ones from BC) and before we know it the local ones will be all you can find in the market. We have plans on having a huge strawberry patch this summer so, fingers crossed, we will only have to go down the back steps to savour their sweet crimson sweetness. Until then, store bought will have to do, because strawberry shortcake, like pea shoots or asparagus just tastes like spring.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ll tell you right now: I’m completely nuts for lemon. Sweet or savoury, I think lemon is my favourite flavour. I particularly like it with fruit and berries – strawberries included. For this shortcake, I made little lemon cupcakes and topped them with cream and strawberries macerated in just a bit of sugar and lemon juice. Despite the richness of the cream, they were almost refreshing, and almost springlike enough to make us believe that warmer weather was on the way.

Strawberry Shortcake

For the cake —

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2- 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 Cup of butter, room temperature

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 of a cup of milk

3/4 cup sour cream

Combine the dry ingredients, stirring well to combine. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together with electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next one. Add the zest and lemon juice. Beat until pale in colour and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the milk and sour cream slowly to the butter mixture with the mixer running

Add the dry ingredients, one half at a time. Mix until fully combined.

Scoop the batter into greased regular sized muffin tins, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before releasing the cakes and cooling them on a wire rack. Makes 18 cupcakes.

(remaining cupcakes, when cool, can be frozen in zip top bags

For the Strawberries — enough for 6 desserts )

Hull and slice 1 lb of berries and toss them with the juice of a lemon and 2 tablespoons of icing sugar. Allow to sit, stirring occasionally for 30 mins. before spooning over cooled cakes.

For the cream —

Beat 1 cup of whipping cream until soft peaks form. Quickly incorporate a dash of vanilla.