Rhubarb Pie-Tartlets

Are you ready for a big foodie confession? The first time we ever ate or baked with rhubarb was last year.

(we'll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor…)

It’s crazy, isn’t it?! Somehow, it had never been on our radar. Our mom and grandma were never big pie bakers when we were younger, so we never had a rhubarb or strawberry-rhubarb pie placed in front of us. And being wholly Italian, our grandfather’s large garden produced copious amounts of tomatoes, green beans, peppers, lettuce, etc. But no rhubarb. Luckily, our Chief Culinary Consultant introduced us to it through stories of the dreamy strawberry-rhubarb pies that his grandmother used to make. We started checking out recipes and before long we had pink stalks in hand and our first strawberry-rhubarb pie was made. Success! We loved it! We couldn’t wait to spread our rhubarb wings…

We saw this pastry crust in our Martha Stewart Baking Handbook and it struck us as unique because it has cornmeal in the crust. She used the crust for a mixed fruit galette, and we saw no reason why it wouldn’t work evenly with rhubarb and rustic little mini tartlets. Something different. And rich.

Getting the rhubarb filling figured out resulted in some testing trial and error. We knew we didn’t want to put the rhubarb in “raw” like a pie filling because it wouldn’t cook down enough in the little tartlets. And we didn’t want to create a compote in which the rhubarb was broken down totally. We wanted something in the middle. In the end, we compromised by using a pie filing and cooking it down slightly before assembling the tartlets. It was reliable!

This pastry crust is phenomenal – flaky, buttery and with just a slight crunch due to the cornmeal. It’s a wonderful base for the rhubarb filling, which strikes the reliable balance between tart and sweet.

Every time we see a rhubarb baked good, all we think of is pretty in pink :) Love the hue! Enjoy!

One year ago: Guacamole
Two years ago: Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies
Three years ago: Lighter Chicken Parmesan

Rhubarb Pie-Tartlets

Yield: 8 tartlets Rich mini tarts filled with rhubarb

For the Cornmeal Pâte Brisée Crust:

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (79.5 g) cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces, (8 ounces)
• ¼ to ½ cup (60 to 120 ml) ice water

For the Rhubarb Filling:

• 1 to 1½ pounds (450 to 680 g) rhubarb, about 5 cups ½-inch diced
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
• ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (for the egg wash)
• Sanding sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

• 1. Make the crust. Place the flour, cornmeal, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, pour the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, until the dough just holds together (do not process for more than 30 seconds). Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten each to form a disk. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• 2. While the crust chills, make the rhubarb filling. Combine the diced rhubarb, both sugars, the cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb releases its liquid and begins to breakdown, creating a thick, chunky sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• 3. One at a time, roll each disk of dough into a 14-inch circle. Using freehand or an upside-down bowl, cut out 5-inch circles and place on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• 4. Spoon rhubarb filling into the center of each dough round (about 2 big spoonfuls), leaving about an inch border around the edge. Fold the border over the rhubarb mixture, overlapping where necessary and pressing gently to adhere the folds.
• 5. Brush the edges of the dough with egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles a bit, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
• *Note: The dough can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic, for up to three weeks before using.

• Yield: 8 tartlets
• Prep: 1 hour
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cornmeal Pâte Brisée Crust:

• 2 cups ( 250 g ) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup ( 79.5 g ) cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup ( 227 g ) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces, (8 ounces)
• ¼ to ½ cup ( 60 to 120 ml ) ice water

For the Rhubarb Filling:

• 1 to 1½ pounds ( 450 to 680 g ) rhubarb, about 5 cups ½-inch diced
• ½ cup ( 100 g ) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup ( 55 g ) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup ( 32 g ) cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
• ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (for the egg wash)
• Sanding sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Method

1. 1. Make the crust. Place the flour, cornmeal, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, pour the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, until the dough just holds together (do not process for more than 30 seconds). Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten each to form a disk. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. 2. While the crust chills, make the rhubarb filling. Combine the diced rhubarb, both sugars, the cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb releases its liquid and begins to breakdown, creating a thick, chunky sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. 3. One at a time, roll each disk of dough into a 14-inch circle. Using freehand or an upside-down bowl, cut out 5-inch circles and place on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. 4. Spoon rhubarb filling into the center of each dough round (about 2 big spoonfuls), leaving about an inch border around the edge. Fold the border over the rhubarb mixture, overlapping where necessary and pressing gently to adhere the folds.
5. 5. Brush the edges of the dough with egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles a bit, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
6. *Note: The dough can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic, for up to three weeks before using.