I’m all about quick and easy. My days start at 3am and I do not have time to make breakfast most of the time. Usually it’s a cup of coffee and the little odds and ends that pop out at work. So I’ve been on a kick finding things I can make ahead and freeze to just pop in the toaster while I am brushing my teeth. These strawberry rhubarb filled pastries are made from puff pastry and filled with homemade jam from the rhubarb in our garden.Roll out puff pastry sheet and cut into desired size. Spread about a table spoon of jam over center of half the squares, leaving the edges free for egg wash and sealing purposes.
Brush egg wash around edges and place non-jammy later on topTrim the edges to help seal and also to keep things looking good 👌🏼I did a press around the edges to seal and cut a steam slit but this step proved unnecessary. Brush tops with egg wash and bake at 350 until golden brown. (Approx 15-20 minutes)
These freeze well but do not reheat in the toaster like I was hoping they would. You can reheat in the oven (or microwave if that’s your thing) or thaw overnight and enjoy at room temp.
I got my puff pastry at my favourite local bakery, but you can find puff pastry in the frozen foods aisle at your favourite grocery store.
The jam for this recipe was homemade strawberry rhubarb. I cook down my berries and rhubarb with some sugar and spices and keep it low and slow on the stove u til it gets thick and jammy. Stir often!
I snag my challah from my favourite local bakery in the PNW, Grand Central Bakery! I love Grand Central because they source local and ethical and are a certified B Corporation but most of all they make incredible products. Challah is by far my favourite bread for French toast.
INGREDIENTS: 1 large loaf of braided challah 4 Tbsp butter 5 eggs 1 cup oat milk (or milk of choice) 1 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla salt
DIRECTIONS: Cut challah into 1 inch thick slices In wide, shallow dish, whisk together remaining ingredients until egg is less viscous and all ingredients are equally incorporated. A pie pan works best for this as it has a wide surface for multiple slices to soak at once and high walls to keep the custard from spilling. Place as many slices as will fit (ideally 2-3) in the custard and press gently once to absorb. You will need to flip the challah to coat both sides and let sit until pan is at temp. Heat griddle or large flat pan to a medium high heat and melt enough butter to coat surface (about 3/4 Tbsp) Lightly wipe excess custard from bread with fingers so it’s not dripping, this will help prevent pooled custard that ends up tasting like scrambled egg. Place challah in pan and let cook until golden, flip and cook until done (pictured above). While first round of challah is cooking, start soaking the next round. Repeat this with each round until all challah is coated and custard is gone.
Suggestion: Top with honey, maple syrup, fresh fruit, berry compote, jam, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or whatever you love. ProTip: These freeze well and can be lightly thawed and reheated, they can also fit in the toaster and reheat well that way!
Vegan citrus pastry cream, vanilla sandwich cookie crust, and segmented pomelo soaked in rose simple syrup.
For the Simple Syrup INGREDIENTS: 1 tsp dried rose petals 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups water
Plus 1 large Pomelo to soak in it!
DIRECTIONS: Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan, bring to boil and stir until all the sugar dissolves. set aside to cool to room temp. Peel and segment the Pomelo making sure to remove all pith and membrane. Do your best to keep the shape of each section whole. Place segments into cooled simple syrup and let soak for 4 hours or over night (can soak for up to 1 week). Store this in the fridge if keeping for longer than 4 hours.
For the Crust INGREDIENTS: 25 Vegan vanilla sandwich cookies 5 Tbsp vegan butter, melted Salt
DIRECTIONS: Finely crush sandwich cookies (filling and all) by pulsing in a food processor, or crush in a zipbag with rolling pin until small sandy pieces form. Add Butter and a pinch of salt. Combine with hands until you can make a clump and it hold its shape. Add mixture to a 9 inch pie pan and press in an even layer covering bottom and sides of the pan to form shell. Set in fridge or freezer until ready to use.
For the Pastry Cream INGREDIENTS 1⁄2 cup flour 2 cups coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice) 1⁄3 cup sugar 1 pinch salt 1⁄4 cup lemon juice 2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS Measure flour into a small bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup coconut milk, and set aside. In a small saucepan, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, sugar, and salt, and whisk to combine Add the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients and whisk well to combine. Cook the mixture over medium heat, while whisking constantly, for 5-6 minutes or until thickened. Add the remaining ingredients, whisk well to combine, and cook the mixture an additional 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the mixture directly into chilled crust and spread evenly.
Alternately: If you want to make this ahead, pour mixture into glass bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming on the top. Place the pastry cream in the refrigerator for several hours to cool completely. Plastic should peel away clean once set.
Assembly! Once pastry cream has been added to the shell and is fully set we will begin to add the segmented Pomelo. Set out a very clean kitchen towel or heavy duty paper towels. Remove segments from syrup and gently place on towel and blot dry. A little moisture is okay but the liquid will make the tart “weep” or get gooey and the segments will slide off of the top. if you can easily hold the segment in your hand and it doesn’t slip around like a fish in your hands it should be good. Place segments in pattern of your choice. I place them, slightly overlapping, starting from the outside edge and working my way in, this will generally lead to an almost rosette shape in the center in the end. The center is also a good place to place pieces of the segments that might have broken or been smaller.
I sprinkled mine with a very light dusting of lavender buds, crushed dried rose petals, and a little bit of leftover lemon zest to add a little extra color to the look. This is for aesthetic and is not necessary. You can also forego the rose in the simple syrup and just do a plain simple for an equally delicious tart. Store the tart covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Strawberries, Rhubarb, and lime zest tossed in sugar and vanilla, topped with a sweet biscuity dough and baked to golden brown. Rhubarb fresh from the garden!
Filling: 1 1/2 lbs fresh strawberries, quartered and de-stemmed 4 stalks rhubarb, rinsed and rid of any leaves, chopped (approx 1/4 inch thick) 1/4 cup sugar 1 lime (juice and zest) 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste) 2 Tbsp corn starch pinch of salt
Topping: 1 1/2 cup AP flour 1/4 cup sugar 1tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes 1 cup cold milk or cream (milk alternatives such as oat milk or nut milk will work too) Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Directions: preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9in round pie plate or tart pan (alternatively 1 qt baking dish) In a large bowl combine all filling ingredients and toss until thoroughly mixed. Let macerate while preparing biscuit dough. Transfer filling to baking dish when done with dough Combine Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and place in a food processor with butter. Pulse the mixture until it looks like coarse sand. Add in the milk and pulse until thick batter forms. In baking dish, scoop spoonfuls of batter over the strawberry rhubarb mixture making sure to cover most areas. Tip: each spoonful should equate to one serving so be mindful of the scoop size and know that gaps will, and should, occur. Sprinkle Demerara sugar on top and bake (with sheet tray underneath to catch drippings) for 40-45 minutes or until filling is bubbling and biscuits are golden brown. Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean (or whatever you like best)
Why did I make marshmallows on the hottest day we’ve had in Portland this Spring? No idea, but the rhubarb was screaming my name from the garden and I had to try this recipe!
Thick, slow cooked rhubarb syrup replaces the corn syrup for this marshmallow recipe. The rhubarb adds a slightly sour, fruity flavour to these soft, pillowy squares. Original recipe is by one of my favourite locals, Hummingbird High. Click the link for her full recipe.
Butter Witch 