RUSTIC RHUBARB TARTS with Lemon Cream Cheese

So the Real Women of Philadelphia contest is long over, but I don't think I posted my recipe entry for Rustic Rhubarb Tarts.  I still have lots of rhubarb growing in my garden and I am guessing I am probably not the only one.  I apologize for the dorky videos I made demonstrating me making all kinds of stuff with Philly.  I am not really into Philadelphia cream cheese at all.  I never buy the stuff, and in fact don't recommend you do either.  I just really wanted to win $10 000.  Considering Anna Olsen was the judge, I figured my best bet was to go all conservative too.  So, if you like the recipes I submitted to the contest, do me a favour and substitute some nice organic cream cheese, or, when appropriate, creamy goat cheese (chevre).  That is what I actually use in my kitchen.  I am really looking forward to filming some great footage of "things we do around my place" in the near future.  I learned alot filming these little suckers, and can't wait to refine my skills in the fine art of video blogging..

RUSTIC RHUBARB TARTS

1 pound organic rhubarb

1/3 cup local maple syrup, or more to taste

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour

1/2 cup organic rolled oats

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, chilled

3 oz organic cream cheese, chilled

1 organic egg yolk

2 tsp organic lemon zest

2 Tbsp local maple syrup

5 oz organic cream cheese, room temperature

Make the pastry dough: Place the flours, oats, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to combine.  Add 1 egg yolk, 3 oz cold Cream Cheese, 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, and process until the dough comes together, about 15 seconds.  

Pour the dough out onto your counter and form it into 6 equal balls.  Flatten each disc with the palm of your hand and place them in a covered container in the refrigerator and chill while you make the other components of the recipe.  

Make the rhubarb compote: Chop the rhubarb into small pieces.  Place them in a medium sized saucepan with the maple syrup and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens to a thin jam like consistency.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

 Make the cream cheese filling: Place the 5 oz of room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer along with the maple syrup and lemon zest; mix until light and creamy.  

Roll out the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and place a ball onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.  With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a small circle that is 1/4" thick.  Leaving a 1" border, spread 1/6th of the cream cheese onto the dough.  Place a couple of spoonfulls of the rhubarb compote on top of the cream cheese.  Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, using your hands to shape and seal it gently.  Repeat this with the other 5 balls of dough.  Place the tarts onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375* oven for 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

LIFE ON THE LAND

Spring is such an exciting time of year.  Each day brings new delightful discoveries on the land.  I am especially enjoying witnessing the asparagus  I planted last year find their way out again.  Although they are not ready to eat this year, already they are looking like the real thing!  I was also pleasantly surprised to locate fiddleheads unfurling all around our land, poking their heads out of the moss.  The garden is being planted, a little more each week, and I can't wait until the seeds we sowed start to sprout.  I love going out each day and checking in on all the gardens to see what's happening!  Life is good.

Some dandelion leaves I picked from our yard.  I made a lovely Dandelion Vinegar with some of the leaves.  The rest we ate in fresh salads or boiled and then drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Our new little chicks in the tanning room.

The new turkeys are catching some rays too.

Lovely fiddleheads abound.

Garlic is one of my favorite things to grow.

Scott's very organized garden markers.

Our new homemade cold frame.

The rhubarb appears to have survived the winter.

As did the strawberry plants.

My delicate currant bush.

Bergamot.

One of my favorite herbs for tea in the summer - Lemon Balm.

Tarragon.

Prolific oregano.

Healing comfrey.

Cute little parsley.

And my lavender came back!

Sweet blessings from the earth.  Happy Spring!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE with Rhubarb Compote

     Seeing as this was the first week for fresh, local strawberries, I just had to make some strawberry shortcake.  Yesterday we enjoyed the first quart of strawberries on my husband's chocolate birthday cake.  Even though we still had leftovers of that, I had a craving for whipped cream and biscuits, loaded with strawberries.  Now the beauty of this recipe is it included using up some of that Rhubarb Compote I wrote about a few days ago.  I had a batch sitting in the fridge, and it was a yummy, sweet addition to the shortcake.  

It seems I've got strawberry fever.  Not only am I eating lots of strawberries, I'm planting them too!  I bought some strawberry plants the other day at Avery's Farm Market on my way home from the city.  So of course, then I needed somewhere to plant them.  That was when I decided a perennial vegetable garden would be perfect for planting not only these healthy strawberry plants, but the asparagus seeds I've been meaning to plant, and some rhubarb too.  Thanks to Scott's hard work today, we now have a new raised bed that's waiting for a soil delivery.  I can't wait!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE with Rhubarb Compote

1 batch organic whole wheat biscuits http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-biscuits-ever.html (you may want to add some more sweetener to this recipe)

1 batch rhubarb compote http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2010/05/rhubarb-compote.html 

1 quart local unsprayed or organic strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1 carton organic whipping cream

Method:  Slice a biscuit in half with a serrated knife.  Drizzle the sliced strawberries with most of the maple syrup and let sit for 15 minutes.  Make the whipped cream by adding a drizzle of maple syrup to the bowl before you use an electric mixer to whip the cream for about 5 minutes.  Slather each side of the biscuit with some rhubarb compote, top the bottom half with whipped cream, followed by some strawberries and syrup.  Top with the other half of the biscuit.

RHUBARB COMPOTE

I really wish the rhubarb I planted last year was bountiful enough to harvest from.  It might have helped if I had remembered to fertilize it with some sheep manure in the fall.  Luckily there was an abundance of rhubarb for sale at the Farmer's Market yesterday, so for the third week in a row I bought some.  I've been making all kinds of yummies with rhubarb lately.  For awhile it was Mixed Fruit Rhubarb crisp (sorry it was so good we ate it each time before I could get a picture!) and for this week's market sales, I made the Rustic Rhubarb tart featured on Smitten Kitchen's food blog.  They were a huge hit with my customers and people kept coming for them long after I was sold out!  This morning we savoured Rhubarb Compote Crepes with maple syrup....so good.

RHUBARB BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

5 stalks organic rhubarb, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup coconut sugar or  1/4 maple syrup

1/2  cup frozen or fresh wild blueberries

Method:  Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil on medium heat, cover and lower heat, simmering for 15 minutes.  Remove lid and simmer another 15 minutes.  Serve on ice cream, in pastry shells for tarts, in crepes, on pancakes, waffles or anything at all!