Rhubarb Tart

Every year at this time, I feel a sense of renewed jubilation and excitement about cooking using fresh and local ingredients.
Traipsing through the market this past weekend there were lots of great items that I saw for the first time of the year. Orange tomatoes, mixed greens, and eggs.
(By the way, these were awesome eggs! I put an egg on everything this weekend. I even made mayo from scratch for my market burgers on Saturday! Also, someone obviously has WAY too much free time on their hands…ahem, me)

But, what we’re going to talk about today is a tart. A rhubarb tart to be exact. I wanted to take advantage of those gorgeous ruby stalks growing in the backyard, so I decided a tart was in order. Plus, the weather was crummy, so a little baking didn’t seem completely out of the question. I did a bit of research online, and couldn’t really find a fun tart recipe with rhubarb. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted it to look and taste like, so I decided to wing it. That of course left me open to the possibility of complete failure, but hey, I live on the edge.
So, went out and cut some rhubarb, much to the chagrin of at least one spider who seemed quite content with his rhubarby home, and came up with this. It isn’t really anything crazy, quite simple actually and it really lets the tart flavour of the rhubarb shine!

Wash your rhubarb and cut into ½ inch pieces. Place into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and let the rhubarb simmer. When the rhubarb is falling apart, add a cup of sugar. Let it cook for about 10 minutes or until it is syrupy and thick. Set aside, and let cool.
Prepare a tart or pie shell. I made a short crust pastry using Brule Creek flour.  I had to tweak my regular recipe a bit to accommodate the different texture of the flour, but it all worked out and the taste was divine!
Next, mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with ½ cup of water and pour into the slightly cooled rhubarb mixture. Stir and pour into the prepared shell. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (or about that, keep on eye on it!)
Remove from the oven and let cool.
For the topping, put ½ cup of heavy cream into the mixer. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup. Whip until thick. It might sound weird, but I put basil in the whipped cream as well, and it was great. So do a little basil chiffonade, and toss it in!
Serve the tart with a wee dollop of cream.  That is what I had for breakfast today; it’s ok there is fruit in it so that is allowed.
What is your favourite way to eat rhubarb?

Originally Published 5/28/2012 on TBNewswatch, by yours truly