Cherry Rhubarb Tarts
Well, I can’t really say I’m a gardener. Or at least not a *successful* one.
It’s in my genes though. Some of my youngest memories are of my Nannie and Grampie’s house with the beautiful big greenhouse. Grampie would have trays and shelves and boxes of little seedlings that went from there into their large garden fields. I remember him spending hours in the greenhouse taking such good care of all those little plants. Beautiful flowers throughout their yard, and a sunroom full of house plants. I did not inherit their green thumb though.
Hubby and I have always lived in an apartment and tried to make do with what we could in pots on our balcony, with varying degrees of success. A few years ago, we moved to a ground level apartment where we were told to use the green space as we’d like. The previous tenants had done some work to get a few small garden beds set up, but it looked like it had been years since they really did anything with them.
Each year we’ve watched the perennials grow a little larger, and the annuals get eaten by the local wildlife – still haven’t managed to make it through a summer with all my flowers intact!
I’ve always loved rhubarb – the tart taste right out of the garden or baked into something tasty. It’s so versatile! I just had to try and have a little patch of my own. I visited my mom to raid her slightly overgrown backyard patch and brought a small clump home to try and bring to life in our little garden space.
A few years have gone by now, and I’m happy to finally report that we have a small, but acceptable harvest! I grabbed the ripe stalks right at the roots and pulled out what I could, without having a clear plan for them…just knowing that I was ready to see what size batch I’d end up with.
A little over 1 cup – that’s what I had. What was I supposed to do with 1 cup of rhubarb?
I dug around and pulled out some more – clearing out the patch as much as I was comfortable without hopefully risking its longer-term survival – and I managed to make about 2 cups total.
Every recipe I had looked up called for at least 3 cups, so I decided I’d have to top it up with something else.
Strawberry rhubarb pie is such a delicious, classic flavour combo – it just seemed like the perfect way to go… but of course, our little (rather successful, I might add!) strawberry patch isn’t producing fruit yet, and I wasn’t going back to the store. Whatever I had in the freezer was going to have to work. Hubby wasn’t keen on the idea of trying blueberry rhubarb tarts, but when I mentioned that I had a bag of dark, sweet cherries he *jumped* on the idea!
[but be honest – the blueberry – rhubarb doesn’t sound like that bad an idea, right?]
I should mention that this rhubarb harvest was rather spontaneous, and as I said above – I really didn’t know what I was going to do with it when I started to harvest…
So, I was so grateful that I had, completely on impulse, picked up a box of Kinnikinnick mini-tart shells while on my last bi-weekly outing to the grocery store.
They were the perfect way to get these tarts quickly from garden to oven and into my mouth!
So, what you’ve all be waiting for –
Cherry Rhubarb Tarts – the Recipe
Ingredients:
12 Kinnikinnick Gluten Free, Vegan Tart Shells
2 C fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1” pieces
1 C sweet dark cherries – frozen, pitted
¾ C white sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch (GF)
1/8 C lime juice
Pinch cinnamon & allspice
For serving: So Delicious Coco-Whip topping
Preparation:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
- Prep tart shells as per instructions. I used the Kinnikinnick Tart Shells
- Prick shells with a fork on the bottom and the sides
- Arrange shells on a cookie sheet or pan (keep in foil pans)
Prepare filling:
- Combine filling ingredients in a pot over low heat
- Cook, stirring often until cherries soften and juices start to flow (~4-6 min)
- Turn heat to medium
- Stir and break up the cherries
- Cook until bubbly and rhubarb is soft (~4-6 min)
- Remove from heat
- Fill prepared tart shells
- Bake 20-24 min until shells are golden brown and filling bubbles
- Let cool & serve with dairy free whip
Notes: Not a sponsored post. Alternates to the brands used above are available but have not been tested. Always make sure to check ingredients for changes and potential allergens.
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