roasted rhubarb pop tarts

 

woah! summer is flying by. even though it hasn't technically started yet, i feel like june went by in the blink of an eye. it has been a little quiet over on the blog this month, as i have been busy promoting the cookbook. local book signings, cooking demos, interviews & so on! what an amazing adventure it has been, i hope it never ends.

i made these pop tarts a few weeks ago when i first spotted rhubarb at the farmer's market & let me tell you, they are GOOD. rhubarb season is (too) short & already coming to an end, so we must make the most of it! the filling of these pop tarts is just fresh rhubarb, roasted to perfection. the pink frosting gets its hue naturally from the leftover rhubarb juices. these are as pretty in pink as it gets! the pastry is extra flakey (hello butter) made with bob's red mill's all purpose flour & sprinkled with bob's red mill's sparkling sugar. the best sugar to top baked goods with! even though these are basically hand pies with glaze, pop tarts are for breakfast.. so these can totally be a breakfast pastry too. i won't tell!

p.s. if you are looking for a dessert to bring to the upcoming long weekend's, canada day + fourth of july celebrations, look no further. just make a double batch, as they won't last long!

xo

ingredients

for the dough

for the filling

  • 10 sticks of rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the glaze

directions

for the dough

  • in a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar & salt.
  • add the cubed butter & work into the dough using your hands until a pea sized crumb mixture is formed.
  • add the ice water & vanilla extract. continue to work in with your hands until the dough comes together. turn out onto a floured surface and shape dough into a disk.
  • wrap dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

for the filling

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • in a large mixing bowl toss together rhubarb, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice & vanilla extract. transfer to prepared baking sheet.
  • roast for 15-20 minutes, until rhubarb begins to soften & release juices. set aside until ready to use.

for the glaze

  • in a small mixing bowl whisk together the sugar & rhubarb juice until smooth.
  • if mixture appears thick, add more rhubarb juice. if mixture appears thin, add more powdered sugar. set aside until ready to use.

for assembly

  • preheat oven to 375 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • on a floured surface roll out dough to 1/8th inch thick. cut into 16 evenly sized rectangles, approximately 4 inches x 2 inches.
  • add a tablespoon of rhubarb filling to the center & brush the edges with egg wash.
  • top with a second piece of dough. using a fork, press down the edges to seal.
  • brush the top with additional egg wash & place on prepared baking sheet. repeat this step until no more dough remains.
  • bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
  • drizzle with glaze & top with sprinkles. let cool slightly before serving.

note: for the rhubarb juice, reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid from the roasted pan to obtain a perfectly natural pink glaze.

strawberry + rhubarb sour cream pie

 

with all the fresh rhubarb & strawberries growing wild this season, we are celebrating the launch of wusthof's urban farmer collection! a collection of knives inspired by the grow-your-own dining & the farm to table movement. designed for city dwellers with a passion for home gardening, the knives are crafted of stainless steel (ft. a high carbon content) & the wood handles are so beautiful, made from roasted european beechwood. aside from how much i love the look of a wood handled knife, they are also safer & easiser to handle when wet. stay tuned friends, as i will be hosting a giveaway to celebrate the launch of the urban farmer collection on instagram this week. now, let's talk about this not so familiar pie!

i know we have (almost) all had the classic strawberry + rhubarb pie, but have you ever had strawberry + rhubarb sour cream pie? i came across this dessert when a local bakery mixed up our order for a traditional strawberry + rhubarb pie, with this creamy concoction. we were all confused as to what pie we recieved, but a quick google search confirmed what dessert it was. the bakery version was good, but not as good as the recipe i am sharing with you today. this one features both a creamy filling & a crumble topping. as it bakes, the crumble topping soaks into the filling & once you bite into it.. oh my gosh. delicious. it is currently strawberry picking season, so if you picked too many strawberries for your basket, try this new favourite. enjoy!

xo

ingredients

for the filling

  • 1 single crust pie dough, chilled
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup full fat sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups diced fresh rhubarb
  • 1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries

for the topping

  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed

directions

for the filling

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees. on a floured surface, roll out prepared pie dough to a 1/2 inch thick circle.
  • gently lift dough & transfer to a standard size pie plate. trim edges & shape crust as desired. chill until ready to use.
  • in a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract & almond extract until smooth. fold in the rhubarb & strawberries.
  • pour filling into the chilled pie shell. set aside while you prepare the crumble topping.
  • for the topping mix together the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. using your hands, work in the butter until a pea sized crumb mixture is formed.
  • generously sprinkle mixture over the filling.
  • bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is firm but has a slight wobble in the centre. let cool to room temperature before serving!

a modern craftsman entry

 

the entry of modest house is officially complete! honsestly though, it is finished & it is perfect. there is not a single thing i ever want to change about this space & if you know me.. well, then you probably don't believe me (haha). when we moved into this home (almost) three years ago (time flies), what you see here was always the end goal & my vision for the the entry. new wood door, simple wallpaper, hand knotted wool runner & so on. all of the wood work is original & full of so much character! i just wanted to put my own personality into the space & brighten things up. if you don't remember what the first entry looked like, you can check out the (almost) original one here & the second update here. now, what should we talk about first.. the wallpaper or the runner? ok, the wallpaper!

the wallpaper is yukutori by farrow & ball. it has been my favourite print (although gabel also holds a special place in my heart) ever since i discovered farrow & ball's line of beautiful wallpapers. however, i was very particular of what space was going to be decorated with yukutori. after endless debates, justin & i both agreed the entry was the winner. the design was simple & stunning. the pattern worked great with our wonky plaster walls & did not take away from the persian runner. prior to having the wallpaper installed, our main floor was painted in farrow & ball's purbeck stone which is the same colour as the wallpaper. i debated on going with the most gorgeous light blue colour, but ultimately i had to go with what would look best in our space. still, i am determined to find a spot for the light blue yukutori paper.. future sunroom? the loft? maybe one day.

the next big change we made was adding a stair runner! it was a big change for us as i finally added in a pop of colour. i have been eyeing the adair handknotted rug from rejuvenation for years! it is the most gorgeous handknotted rug i have ever laid my eyes on. it features a warm colour palette with subtle updates on a traditional hand-knotted rug. almost like a modern take on a traditional persian rug. when it was launched earlier this year as various size runners for stairs, i knew my endless search for the perfect entry runner was over! to add a touch of classic old school vibes, we also installed burnished antique plain finial stair rods. they are a little hard to see in the images (if only you could see the space in person too), but i felt like an elegant runner deserved a little gold finishes. every space deserves a hint of gold!

lastly, those peg rails! i really love the timelessness & simplicity a peg rail gives to a space, but i didn't want to add another shade of wood to the entry. what i ended up deciding on was a monochromatic peg real. i ordered a custom size peg rail & painted it in farrow & balls' purbeck stone (the exact same colour as the wallpaper). this way it created storage without taking away from the print. monochromatic for the win! i have two that line the whole entry wall, as our entry closet is tiny & i have an obsession with coats.

anyways, everything else featured throughout the space will be linked below. i look forward to greeting friends & family in this entry for years to come. it couldn't be a more fun, warming & welcoming space! if you want to check out the modest house's modern craftsman porch from last summmer, click here.

xo