Canada Day Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart

I currently have  strawberries and rhubarb in my garden. Strawberries and rhubarb are the quintessential early summer combination.  Rhubarb, technically a vegetable, is the very first thing from the garden and as long as it is picked regularly will continue to produce for most of the summer.  Strawberries come later, but are worth the wait.  There is nothing like Ontario strawberries fresh from the field.  They taste like a completely different fruit than the strawberries that come from the southern US and Mexico.

Growing up, we always had rhubarb in the garden, and would often pick buckets of strawberries in a "pick your own" strawberry field to make strawberry jam for the rest of the year, and then indulge in the left over bucket of strawberries, for the next few days -  strawberries and milk for breakfast, strawberry short cake,  strawberry and spinach salad, and my mother's favourite was always strawberry and rhubarb stew.  

It was Canada Day and I so it seemed appropriate to refer to Rose Murray's  book, " A Taste of Canada"  and her recipe for Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart for inspiration.  

Canada Day Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart

Pastry

• 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons of ice water

9" tart pan with removable bottom

Sift together dry ingredients.  Cut butter into small pieces and put in flour.  Cut butter into flour until a light crumble.  Gradually stir in cold water adjusting amount until the correct consistency.  Form into flat ball, and roll and fit into 9" fluted tart pan. Prick bottom with fork, and cover with parchment paper, and weigh down bottom.  I use my daughters old marbles, but dry beans or rice also work. 

Bake at 425F for 8 minutes, Remove weights and parchment paper and put back in oven for another 5 to 8 minutes.  I protect the edges by reusing the parchment paper and placing it lightly over the tart.   Cool and remove from tart pan.

Filling

• 4 cups of chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of port
• 1/2 cup of black current jelly
• 4 cups of fresh hulled strawberries

Glaze

• 4 tablespoons of current jelly
• 1 tablespoon of port

Combine brown sugar, port and jelly in heavy sauce pan.  Add rhubarb and cook over low heat, storing until the sugar, jelly and port are fluid in constancy.  Turn up heat, storing often, until the rhubarb is a mushy constancy, about 10 minutes.  Cool.

In small pot, heat current jelly and port for glaze.

Fill shell with rhubarb mixture, arrange strawberries, point up in filling, and paint strawberries with glaze.  

This tart is fabulous on it's own, however whipped cream or vanilla ice cream as a compliment push this desert over the top.