From Patch To Table...Rhubarb TARTlets!

It is a BEAUTIFUL May in Minnesota! Early spring has led to early produce season (YAY!!) which means, YUM!! I was over at a friends house picking rhubarb from one of her four patches (yes...patches...they are enormous!) and it made me think about picking rhubarb from my parents plants throughout the years.  At one house it was behind the shed in the back. My sister, the neighbors and I would run back there during the summer to pick stalks so we could run inside, douse them in sugar, and eat every inch of the red stalk, wincing in young agony of the tartness. But ooooh was it good...At my parents' current house, they have plants that have been growing in our family for over a century.  Every summer, pies upon pies get made by my mother and nobody ever gets sick of them.

Sitting over my gathered stash, I thought about making my mom's rhubarb pie (Nah, it will never taste like hers). Then I saw a new tart pan that I recently bought (That could be fun!). But then I thought about tartlets. Two years ago I catered hundreds of little tartlets to one of my friends' little sister for her high school graduation party. It was my first time making them, and they were pretty darn good. Free-form crusts with a standard ratio pie dough, filled with things like strawberries and basil, peaches and cream cheese...They were a lot of fun, but being a young baker, there is always room for improvement. As a bonus, I have tartlet pans I got as a gift after I catered the party!

And so it was decided. RHUBARB TARTLETS!!

I found a nice tart dough recipe and subbed in some whole wheat flour to give it some nuttiness, and then made up the filling as I went, basing it (of course) loosely on my mom's rhubarb pie recipe.

 Tart Pastry

1c All-Purpose Flour

1/4c Whole Wheat Flour

1 TB Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2c Butter, cold, unsalted

2+ TB Ice-Cold Water

In a food processor, pulse flours, sugar and salt until combined.  Add chopped butter and pulse until the texture is fine and the bits resemble oat flakes.  Add water 1 TB at a time, pulsing 3-4 times after each addition. After the first 2 TB of water are added, if the dough does not press together easily with your hands, add more water, a few drops at a time, until dough comes together when pressed.  Dump onto the counter and gather into a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap, pressing down to flatten the ball into a puck shape.  Refrigerate at least 30 min.  Divide dough into 18 pieces (depending on your tartlet pan size).  Roll each into a 3 1/2" circle an press into tartlet pan.  Refrigerate until chilled. Arrange on a sheet pan and dock the bottom of each tartlet shell by poking each with a fork.  Bake at 425° F for 5-6 minutes, or until shells start to golden.  Cool!

Rhubarb Filling

4c Thinly Chopped Rhubarb

3/4c Sugar

2TB Corn Starch

1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (extract will work too)

1/4 tsp Salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir  until evenly coated.  Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The mixture will start to release water and a puddle will form at the bottom of the bowl. Divide evenly among the tartlet shells (including that juice at the bottom!).  Bake at 350° F for about 35 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft and juices are bubbly. Allow to cool. Eat them warm with vanilla or ginger ice cream if you must ;)

the sun shines on rhubarb

still bubbling from the oven!!

These tarts aren't overly sweet, which I really appreciate.  I love the pang of tartness that keeps your mouth alive and wanting more! These really are TARTlets!

I brought some of these along to dinner with my family on Mother's day, and they didn't make it until dessert. Of course we had to eat them before dinner! I am excited to try this shell with other fillings. I think I may have to try nixing the sugar from the crust and trying a savory filling for small savory tartlets as an appetizer...so many possibilites...

In the meantime, I think I may need to help my friend clear her rhubarb patch...yum...