We love the sheer, unadulterated joy of seasonal fruit and are lucky enough to have strawberry and pineberry plants and a glorious cherry tree. Nothing beats a sun warmed strawberry eaten straight from the plant. And the cherries taste sweeter for the victory of getting to them before the birds - we get the lower branch crop and they have their pick of the loftier harvest.
As well as the fresh fruit, there have been jams and gins, tarts and cakes and a Savarin Montmorency from our 1970s Cordon Bleu Cook Book, which calls for ¾ gill milk! This was cooked in our 9" savarin tin.
But in addition to all this sexy red fruit, there is still some late season rhubarb flourishing at the bottom of the garden and it may not be so in your face but it is oh so delicious.
Here it is in a free form, inelegant galette, with an amateurish attempt at the picture perfect chevron patterns beloved of Instagram. Okay, so I didn't measure each piece of rhubarb to ensure consistency, I didn't use a protractor for pinpoint accuracy and do you know what - I don't care, the taste was what really mattered. Life's too short!
5 long sticks rhubarb
Grated rind of an orange
80g sugar
( I used orange infused sugar, made by placing orange peel into a jar of sugar - the sugar draws out the oil from the peel, drying and preserving it and flavouring the sugar. #wastenot).
150g self raising flour
75g butter, cut into small pieces
25g sugar
1 beaten egg
100g cream cheese
50g sugar
100g ground almonds
Heat the oven to 180ºC
Cut the rhubarb into short lengths and place in an oven proof dish. Sprikle the sugar and orange zest over the top and place in the oven. cook for around 15 - 20 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft, but still holds its shape.
Check for sweetness and sprinkle on a little more sugar if necessary, but bear in mind that you will need a little tartness to counter the sweet pastry and filling.
Remove from the oven and set aside while you make the base and the filling.
LEAVE THE OVEN ON
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Rub in with your fingertips until it looks like a bowl of breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and distribute evenly. Mix in the beaten egg and bring together to form a ball of dough.
(All of this can be done in a food processor if you prefer - mine just happened to be full of bread dough)
Dust your worktop with flour and roll out the dough around 4mm thick. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet, the 15" griddle plate is perfect.
Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth and then stir in the ground almonds. Carefully spread this over the pastry base, leaving a 5cm border.
Arrange - or simply tip- the rhubarb over the filling.
Pull up the edges of the pastry to meet the filling. this will form a nice crust and prevent any juices from running out and burning.
Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
Serve at room temperature.
Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2019 ©
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