Knee-deep in strawberry season and we’re prepping for picnics. The Friendly Greek has few requests for Father’s Day, but a picnic with the ladies of the house would be considered a win. Strawberries on the menu in any form and everyone is silly happy. A ride in a vintage car? Oh baby.
Ripe strawberries get around.
Hardly monogamous to their loyal better half-the old standby pie dough, these ripe reds pop up in ice cream and salads, shakes and smoothies, and will make the purest white meringue blush pink.
They’ll even turn a staid glass of water into something racy.
This week, we’re exposing them for what they are: tarts. Surround them in buttery dough and throw in their sourpuss BFFs, the rhubarb stalks, drizzle with honey and there’s your picnic pouch of love.
Strawberry-Rhubard Picnic Pouches
What you need:
Filling:
- 2 cups ripe strawberries, sliced
- 2 cups rhubarb, sliced into ½ inch chunks
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons instant tapioca
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Etc:
- 2 tablespoon cream for brushing on pastry before baking
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided into four
Pastry:
- I cup unsalted butter, diced and frozen
- 1/3 cup shortening, frozen
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ice water-see directions.
What you do:
- Make pastry by combining dry ingredients with a few pulses in food processor, then adding frozen butter and shortening by pulsing until mixture resembles small peas. Whisk together the egg yolk and lemon juice in measuring cup, then fill to 2/3 cup mark with ice water. Drizzle water over the flour/butter mixture and pulse until dough just comes together when you pinch between your fingers. Divide into four discs and wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Wash fruit and chop. Place in medium bowl and add honey, tapioca, sea salt and vanilla. Fold carefully so not to crush berries, but enough to blend in the honey.
- Roll out each disc of dough on floured surface – each should be roughly an 8 inch circle.
- On each circle of dough, place approximately ¾ cup fruit mixture in centre.
- Fold up the sides of pastry over the fruit. You can be fancy and use a pleating method or just fold over in any way you like. The important thing here is to keep the fruit inside.
- Brush pastry with cream, then sprinkle with sugar.
- Dot each with butter.
- Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 -30 minutes until golden brown.
These rustic tarts are perfect for packing in a picnic basket and can be halved for smaller bites. Or dress them up for a more formal party with a dollop of good quality vanilla bean ice cream.
Will keep in fridge for 2 days. Good luck with that.
To all the Dads celebrating this weekend, here’s hoping somebody makes you breakfast…
Yup…that would be me, the only one holding a spoon.
Dad, I owe you everything.
Happy Weekend. Next week, I’m off on a writing retreat. In this space, a few special guest bloggers. Check back Monday.
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