Rhubarb strawberry tart & coulis

For years, every spring & summer that I'd see rhubarb, I'd pick one bunch up and then put it back down after 30 seconds of ponder.

This time however, I grabbed one bunch & proceeded to the cash register without any hesitation. It is time for rhubarb & I to be introduced beyond the acquaintance fence (Ever since my discovery of Tastespotting a year ago, I've seen many beautiful posts on rhubarb and I wanted to try them out: tarts, ice cream, sorbet, panna cotta!!! Ok, ok, one thing at a time...)

When I walked home passed the neighborhood's vegan restaurant, the extremely eccentric owner/chef/yoga instructor was posing outside all decked out in his usual psychedelic outfit. As I looked and smile, he yelled at me: "What are you gonna make with the rhubarb?" and as a reflex, I yelled back: "TARTS!!!!"

That was the first time he ever yelled to me. I think it was also the last.

Anyhow, back to the tarts... When I saw this on Fresh From The Oven after a search on Tastepotting, it was all settled. Don't they look so pretty & yummy & did I say pretty? I used half the rhubarb bunch (about 4-5 stalks) and half a box of strawberries for the filling, and the other halves I used to make a coulis.

Strawberry Rhubarb tarts recipe from Fresh From The Oven
(makes 4 tarts of 4.5 inches)

• 4 blind-baked tart shells of your choice, just slightly colored (I used a butter cookie dough that I found on Annie's Eats that I used here and here as well)
• 2 cups of sliced strawberries (I used half a 1lbs box)
• 2 cups of sliced rhubarbs (4-5 long stalks, 1lbs)
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch

Heat oven to 350F.

Mix the strawberries, rhubarbs, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl. Let "marinade" for 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, brush your baked tart shells with some egg wash (egg white and a bit of water)

Spoon filling into the shells, not over the top. Then drizzle with a couple of spoon of juice that gathered at the bottom of the bowl. Bake the tarts for about 35-40 minutes. Don't throw away the rest of that juice, you'll be able to use it for something later.


Strawberry rhubarb coulis

• 2 cups of sliced strawberries
• 2 cups of sliced rhubarbs
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp of Ice wine cider (optional)

Put everything except the Ice wine into a sauce pan over low heat. Cover and let cook for a few minutes. Turn off heat. Cool, then blend until smooth and add Ice wine. Store in the fridge or freeze in ice cube trays to keep longer.

My first try with rhubarb was quite satisfying, I would say. So there will definitely be more rhubarb things to come :)