Rhubarb slides through the season quickly, and I was fortunate to find it at Whole Foods. We have a wonderful local goat farm in the area, and I’m happy to say after many hours in the kitchen with three pounds of rhubarb, it pairs splendidly with goat cheese in several different ways.

My original intention was to do a duck confit stuffed with rhubarb goat cheese served with a rhubarb gastrique.  I made a wonderful gastrique with rhubarb and various vinegars, a little sugar and a touch of strawberries. It was dark, thick, inspiring in flavor but, I couldn’t find duck legs anywhere.

I looked out of my kitchen window and I saw the squash blossoms were sprinkling gold everywhere. A new idea was born. Rhubarb compote with goat cheese stuffed into squash blossoms, battered, fried crispy and served with roasted rhubarb. I’ve made squash blossoms before and those I purchased, but it’s really fun to do something with the blossoms that show up every day in the garden.

Three of the four ingredients are local. I picked the strawberries at Bradley’s Kountry Acres. The cheese comes from Noble Springs Dairy,  a few miles a way, and the squash blossoms and herbs come from my own garden.

At first I made a simple compote using chopped rhubarb and some hand-picked strawberries. I added in sugar as I needed to and boiled it down until it had a very pleasant taste. Rhubarb is tart and needs something sweet, even if its going to be served savory.

The compote was mixed in with the goat cheese, about 1 tablespoon per 1/3 cup of goat cheese. This is good all by itself. I used all male squash blossoms, some from zucchini, some from yellow squash and this recipe for the batter. These were served with a roasted rhubarb. This was one of the best surprises of the three ways I made rhubarb. I had some very ripe strawberries and I marinated the rhubarb with a few smashed strawberries and roasted about 10 minutes until just soft enough to eat, but still in whole form.

The bite of squash blossom with the bite of roasted rhubarb is a perfect starter course for a meal where each course must contain goat cheese and rhubarb.This is one that would easily become a signature dish at the Pink Goat in the springtime.

Please visit my teammates to see their dishes:  Victoria @ Mission Food, and Bren @ Flanboyant Eats.

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The Pink Goat: Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Roasted Rhubarb

Squash Blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and rhubarb compote, crispy fried.

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 6 male squash blossoms with at least a one inch stem
• 6 teaspoons goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon rhubarb compote
• 1 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs chives, thyme, basil, parsely, etc.
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• coconut oil for frying

Instructions

• Gently rinse off squash blossoms, checking for bugs inside.
• Remove inside stem.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Mix goat cheese, herbs and rhubarb compote together.
• Gently stuff flowers with 1 teaspoon of goat cheese. Some flowers are larger and can use more. You want to have enough room at top of flower to close flower completely.
• Mix water and flour into a batter. Dip flower into batter.
• Heat a heavy bottomed pan with 1 inch of oil until oil is at 375 degrees.
• I use a kernel of corn. When it pops, my oil is ready.
• Fry a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with roasted rhubarb.

Notes

If you don't have a rhubarb compote, you can mix goat cheese with a favorite jam or preserve, or just use herbs, salt and pepper.

Recipe for Rhubarb Compote
2 large stalks rhubarb
2 cups strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (more if needed)
Bring everything to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is softened. If there is too much liquid in pan, remove fruit and continue to simmer liquid until reduced. Mix back in with fruit. Cool completely before mixing with goat cheese.

The post Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Roasted Rhubarb Compote appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I don’t make a lot of desserts because I don’t have a sweet tooth, but I can’t resist tarts, which are often a bit less sweet than many other desserts and are elegantly portioned just right.

A tart is the couture line of the filled pie family because each ingredient must be so carefully placed, and the shell must be properly executed. A typical pie can hide what is underneath the pie crust, but the tart bares it all. You see the ingredients and they need to be pretty and hold together well. A tart is expected to be elegant.

The tart shell itself can take on many different personalities; it can be easy going and always turn out perfectly, or it can be very fussy needing precise attention to its development. Part of the mystique is, how did the tart maker choose right shell for the filling. The shell must not only taste good, it must be substantial enough to hold the ingredients, and not get soggy. ( I once made perfect lime tarts with a crust so hard, it couldn’t be cut with a knife.)

This tart shell was just the right kind of crunchy and firm, tasting a little bit like almond shortbread, and a good fit for the strawberry rhubarb mixture. One bite demanded the next.

I don’t put myself in the “tart maker” class, because I haven’t made enough of them to understand the decision making process to its fullest. I haven’t had enough tart shell failures or proud successes with sweet or savory ingredients. But, I’m about to enter that “tart” world today as a novice, who stepped out to create my own tart shell crust, and strawberry rhubarb filling. Today ends my tart virginity.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Almond Oat Crust

A light dessert of strawberries and rhubarb in an almond oat crust, ready for a yogurt topping.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries
• 2 cups sliced rhubarb
• 1/2 cup raw agave nectar flavored with vanilla bean
• Squeeze of blood orange orange, lemon (optional)

Instructions

• Mix strawberries and rhubarb together an hour before baking. Let sit at room temperature.
• Toast oats for 10 minutes. Grind in food processor. I used a magic bullet.
• Mix together almond meal, oats, flour, salt, brown sugar.
• Cut in butter, forming into a crumbly dough. Wrap in plastic, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Use hands to form into a ball. Cut into 4 pieces. Cut off about 1 tablespoon of dough mixture from each for crumbly topping.
• Press each piece into a small buttered tart shell with removable bottom (or use parchment paper). Dough will tend to be crumbly, use hands to push into pan; it will bake together.
• Blind bake crust (with pie weights or rice over parchment paper) for 10 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights and bake for 10 more minutes.
• Remove, cool, place fruit in tart shells. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until fruit is soft.
• For topping, take the extra piece, crumble onto a cookie sheet, bake 10 -15 minutes. Reserve. Crumble the top just prior before serving.

Notes

I purchased the almond meal at Trader Joe’s , but you can grind almonds, being careful, not to make a paste. Almond meal should be dry, crumbly.

The post Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Almond Oat Crust appeared first on Spinach Tiger.