rhubarb

I don’t know if any of you noticed, but this entire summer, just about any and every food themed magazine was having a heyday with pies. From Martha Stewart Living, Food & Wine, and Bon Appétit, to InStyle, and O, it was pies, pies, and more pies! Even the in-flight magazine on either Southwest Airlines or US Airways (can’t recall specifically which one, I flew both several times – yeah, because I am a jet-setter!) had a huge article with recipes for pies! What’s up with that? I mean I love pies as much as just about anybody on the planet, but I somehow missed that 2011 was designated – THE SUMMER OF PIES!

I actually put up two recipes for pies this summer, the first was a Buttermilk Pie on June 24th, during the height of kids’ cooking classes. And then again on August 22nd when I, along with hundreds of others, made a Pie for Mikey, in remembrance of a fellow food-blooger’s beloved husband. Neither one was exactly in cahoots with the rest of the food world celebrating The Wonderful World of Pies. One was created to use up the boatloads of buttermilk I was fortunate enough to get – for free – from Shamrock Farms and the other – well as I just said, it was an honor to make.

One of the most popular pies in just about all of these publications was Strawberry-Rhubarb. And for good reason, that is summer at its best! And now that summer is done and over with for most of the country (it will still feel like and be referred to as “summer” here in AZ for about 4 to 7 more weeks), I have decided to jump on the bandwagon… kind of.  In defiance, I am going to use strawberries and rhubarb to make a tart, not a pie, so take that “Summer of Pie”!

In my overt act of rebellion, I mistakenly bought way too much rhubarb. Once I started cutting it up, I remembered that 1 or 2 stalks go a long long way.  I think I purchased 8 or 9 stalks and the pie, I mean the tart, it takes one – maybe two. Oh well, the recipe for Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote will be handed over to you tomorrow. Maybe it will induce the “Fall of Compotes” revolution! Hey, you never know.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart

8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 package), thawed
1 tablespoon milk
1 pound strawberries, hulled and divided
1 cup sliced rhubarb, trimmed (1 large rib)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon berry jam or jelly (strawberry, raspberry, or whatever you have on hand)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 3/4-inch wide strips from all sides. Brush the edges of the rectangle with milk and place the strips on top, pressing gently to adhere. Trim any overhang. Brush the top of the strips with milk.

Line the inside of the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil that extends along the sides of the strips but not over, and weigh foil down with pie weights or dried beans. Fold up the edges, so that the sides, with the newly made edges, are not covered.

Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Cool on a rack.

While tart is blind-baking, Cut half of the strawberries into chunks and place them, along with the rhubarb slices, into a medium saucepan. Stir in the sugar and the berry jam and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fruit is thick about 15 minutes.

Pour fruit mixture into a food processor or blender and add the vanilla and the  butter. Puree until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and cool. Use an ice-bath if you are in a hurry.

Slice the remaining strawberries lengthwise.

Spread cooled strawberry-rhubarb mixture in the shell, up to, but not over the edges. Arrange strawberries atop.  Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Serves 6 to 8