Witamy!
* recipe corrected 5-26-16
Poles love fruit tarts. They’re nothing like American grocery store style fruit tarts with huge chunks of fruit in a yellow custard, and drenched in a shiny sweet glaze. Those are pretty to look at but I prefer other European pastries that are less sweet.
Poles love fruit tarts. They’re nothing like American grocery store style fruit tarts with huge chunks of fruit in a yellow custard, and drenched in a shiny sweet glaze. Those are pretty to look at but I prefer other European pastries that are less sweet.
The classic Polish berry tarts
we grew up with have fewer ingredients, they are simpler to make, less sweet
and focus more on the natural flavors of the fruit. This one is a favorite because it combines
the flavors of berries and rhubarb for a wonderful contrast of sweet and tart.
Have you
been to a farmers’ market yet this spring?
As the weather gets warmer, more and more berries are showing up for
sale. And since they are usually local
and fresh picked, the berries are bright red and super-sweet.
Now we’re also seeing rhubarb which is a
bakers’ dream ingredient. When raw it
looks like red celery, and it’s quite tart on the tongue. But when you cook it down with some
sweetener, it can add such a beautiful bright fresh note to any fruit it is
paired with.
This is a
favorite “go-to” dessert of ours because it is so easy and frankly
flexible. Any berries will work although
we like it best when the berries are paired with the rhubarb for a more natural
and fresher flavor profile.
Yields 32 squares
Cake Batter
1¼ cups butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1½ cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pounds rhubarb, cut into thin, ½-inch wide slices
1 pound ripe strawberries, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10x15-inch pan.
Using a standing mixer, blend the butter and
sugar and until pale and creamy. Mix the
flour with the baking powder and add to the butter - alternately with the
milk. Add the egg yolks one at a time,
beating constantly. Add the vanilla and
blend thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until
stiff. Fold into the dough and mix
lightly. Spread the dough evenly in the
prepared pan. Combine the strawberry and
rhubarb pieces and distribute the fruit mixture evenly on top of the batter.
Topping
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
Mix the
butter and flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sugar and mix well. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over top of the fruit.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a
toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the crumb topping starts to brown too
quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the cake. Remove from oven. Cool and cut into portion-sized squares. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side
would be a no-brainer!
* Note: if your fruit pieces are too small they could render too much moisture and the middle of your tart will be wet. If so, bake a little longer, keeping an eye on the crust not getting too dark.
* Note: if your fruit pieces are too small they could render too much moisture and the middle of your tart will be wet. If so, bake a little longer, keeping an eye on the crust not getting too dark.
Smacznego!