Organizing Chaos Part I - Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

During the summer months I have to make the recipes that call for fresh fruit. So, after coming back from the LaGrange Farmers Market with fresh beautiful strawberries and a bunch of rhubarb, I decide on making a tart. How can I not?  I think there has to be a tart recipe in my mess somewhere, but after looking through, it turns out it’s a pie recipe.

Instead of using the store bought pie crusts, I opted to make tart dough and turn this thing into mini tarts.

Strawberry-rhubarb pie (adapted from Family Circle magazine June 2008)

3 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb pieces (about 1 lb)

3 cups trimmed and quartered strawberries (about 1 lb)

1 cup sugar mixed with ¼ cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.      Partially bake tart shell at 350 before you begin. Remove from oven then heat the oven to 400.

2.      In a large bowl, toss rhubarb, strawberries, sugar-cornstarch mixture and lemon juice. Let stand 5 minutes.

3.      Pour strawberry mixture into crust lined tart dish (I used tart pans with a removable bottom), leveling slightly.

4.      Bake at 400 for 50 minutes, covering edge of pie with foil if browning too quickly. Cool to room temperature.

Tart Dough (From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons heavy cream

1.       In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes.

2.        Add egg yolks , and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add ¾ cup flour, and mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add remaining ¾ cup flour along with the salt and cream, and mix just until flour is no longer visible, about 1 minute.

3.       Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a flattened disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.