Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

I'm sure I looked pretty silly today picking rhubarb. Large stick in tow, which by the way is no where near necessary for picking rhubarb. However, there are two very large milk snakes taking refuge in our rhubarb patch. They're quite aggressive as well. One of them has come flying out at me before. I try to learn my lesson the first time around. So, this time I took a stick to push around the big leaves so I could at least see what I was putting my hands into.  It was a success, I got lots of rhubarb and no snakes in sight.

Said snake.

Anyway, I'll be the first to tell you that I am absolutely the worst at making pretty pie crusts. I suppose it's because I don't have patience for it. I also don't have enough practice. My mom on the other hand is a whiz at it.

There is an easy solution to not so pretty crusts for pies. I turn everything that originally had intentions of being a pie into a rustic tart. There is no need for pinching the edges, braiding, neatly folding, weaving or spending minutes upon minutes trying to reach symmetrical perfection.

That's the reason behind this creation. I saw a recipe for rhubarb pie, which of course looked absolutely pretty. So, I decided to make a rustic tart.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

crust:

2 c flour

1/4 c yellow corn meal

1/3 c sugar

2/3 c butter, cold and cubed

1/2 c buttermilk

filling:

4 c rhubarb, chopped

2 c strawberries, chopped

4 c boiling water

2/3 c sugar

1/4 c flour

2 tblsp cream of wheat

1 egg white, slightly whisked with fork

Alright, I generally make my crusts in my food processor. It's just so much easier. Plus, it takes less time, which means less time for the butter or fat to melt while working it into a dough. Meaning they stay the perfectly little butter/fat pockets that melt in the crust when it is baking in the oven. So, whether you make your dough in a food processor or with a fork in a large bowl is up to you, and requires the same process nonetheless.

Mix flour, corn meal and sugar in food processor.

Add cold butter and pulse processor until it forms fine crumbles, as shown on the left. Then slowly add the buttermilk, continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together into a ball. 

Dump it out onto a lightly floured countertop and form into a disk. Shove it in the refrigerator for at least a 1/2 hour.

While the dough is chilling make the filling. Put rhubarb in a colander and pour the boiling water over it. Let water drain out and add to a large bowl. Add strawberries, sugar, flour and cream of wheat. Cream of wheat is the secret in any super juicy pie. It helps absorb the juices so they stay inside. But shhh...it's a secret so don't tell anyone.






Once dough is chilled roll it out to about a 14 inch circle on a floured surface. Be sure to flour your rolling pin as well. Make sure the dough is also about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a foiled cookie tray or pizza pan. This part is probably easier than it seems. Just roll the dough around your rolling pin and transfer it over to the tray that way. Spoon the filling atop the dough, leaving about 2 inches of edge. Pull those edges up around the filling in any way you want. That's the best part. It doesn't matter if it's even or some come up further than others. Brush with egg white.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve warm with some cold vanilla ice cream on the side, and you wont regret a single bite.

Simple enough, wouldn't you say? Let me know if you gives this one a try!

Also, just in case you don't have buttermilk sitting around in your refrigerator (which I didn't), you can make it. Sort of. Technically it's just soured milk, but works practically the same. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and then fill to 1 cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using your desired amount.