Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Tartlets
A fun twist on classic strawberry rhubarb pie, with a beautiful presentation. Perfect for spring!
Another spring, another rhubarb recipe. Every March I see the little red shoots poking through the dead leaves and I get a bit excited knowing that winter is finally on its way out. It’s a sign of hope, and a promise of all the other fresh produce that’s to come.
I’ve celebrated with many great rhubarb recipes over the years— everything from coffee cake to crisps— but this year I went back to my favorite strawberry rhubarb pie, with a twist. I swapped out one pie dish for four little tart pans and ditched the top crust in favor of a pillow of toasted meringue.
And you know what? I may not go back to the pie. These strawberry rhubarb meringue tartlets have it all. They are the perfect combo of sweet and tart, they come in a cute little package, and the toasted meringue is such a great alternative to the traditional dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream.
What seasonal ingredients are you most looking forward to this spring and summer?
baking tip:Baking with Rhubarb
I’m fortunate to have several rhubarb plants in my backyard that produce stalks from mid April to September. I’ve found that most well-stocked grocery stores and farmer’s markets sell fresh rhubarb in early spring. One thing to keep in mind is that the flavor of rhubarb changes over the course of the season. Stalks picked later in the season are more tart than those earlier in the season, and the amount of sugar in recipes will need to be adjusted accordingly.
Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Tartlets
Ingredients
For the sweet tart dough:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (188 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (57 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter , cubed (147 grams)
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
For the filling:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 ½ cup strawberries , sliced (200 grams)
- 1 ½ cup rhubarb , chopped into 1 inch pieces (175 grams)
For the meringue:
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
To make the tart dough:
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse in short bursts until the butter is the size of small peas. Slowly add the beaten egg and pulse until the mixture comes together into a ball. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then roll out to about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a large round cutter or a knife to cut out circles of dough for each tart pan (I used 5 inch circles for my 4-inch tart pans).
- Grease tart pans with butter, then press the dough circles into each pan. Chill in the freezer until ready to bake.
To make the filling:
- In a medium saucepan, toss all ingredients together in a bowl to coat the fruit. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is moistened and the strawberry and rhubarb start to soften.
- Divide filling between the 4 tart shells. Place on a sheet pan and bake at 400°F until filling is bubbling and dough is golden, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely, then remove tarts from their pans.
To make the meringue:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites while continuing to mix. Beat to stiff peaks. Spread meringue onto the tops of each tartlet.
- Brown the meringue with a hand-held kitchen torch or under an oven broiler (watch it carefully). Serve immediately. Store any leftover tartlets in the fridge.
Notes
This is such a lovely rhubarb recipe. I have seen so many different kinds of uses for rhubarb but this has to be my favourite. Such a fresh take on the lemon meringue pie or tart. I actually prefer the tartness in this kind of dessert because everything else is quite sweet.
I’m on my way over to harvest. I’ve never actually made anything with rhubarb. What a great excuse to change my erroneous ways!
I’ve got a bundle of rhubarb stalks with your name on it!
I look forward to spring rhubarb every year too. What a delicious way to use it.
LOVE! Strawberry-rhubarb is my fav summer flavour combo!! Yum!
Seriously… We are obsessed with your photography style!! Looks forward to all your posts to see what next and how you shot them…
Do you use a photo-umbrella light?? We just got one, haven’t taken it out of the box yet..
Thank you so much for the kind compliments! Your comments are always so sweet. I just use the light from a big picture window and a bouncing board. I’m blessed with great natural light!
We grow both rhubarb and strawberries but I have never put them together. Thanks for the rhubarb tip I didn’t know that.
These look absolutely gorgeous! I love the idea of them too – the strawberry and rhubarb filling with the meringue topping sounds so delicious!
These are beautiful!! I just made a strawberry rhubarb pie for the first time this season a few days ago! It is one of my favorite things about spring!!
Hooray for strawberry rhubarb pies!
Oh, those are lovely! God BLESS you for not using strawberry jello. That’s a cool footnote, too, about the rhubarb growing progressively more sour throughout the summer. I’d never heard that before. Sounds like now is the time to jump on it if I can find some. Thanks!
Strawberry jello?! No thanks. I forgot people still put that in pies. This is homemade, through and through. Thanks for the comment!
I can’t wait to start baking with rhubarb! It’s almost in-season, but not quite!
My dad is rhubarb obsessed. I kinda want to make these and surprise him on father’s day. I know it sounds so simple, but he would loooove them as a gift
Home-baked gifts are often the best! If he’s a rhubarb lover, he’ll really love these!
Oh, and I have a ton of it if you’re ever in the neighborhood and want to pick some up! 🙂
They sound delicious – the biggest problem in Florida is having to buy the rhubarb which is quite expensive, but I will try them.
DO NOT use a kitchen torch to brown a meringue. It will be raw under the color and you will be vulnerable to food-borne illness. Brown the meringue by returning the pie to the oven for 20 minutes. Even if you have turned the oven off you will have enough heat to brown and cook the meringue.
Thanks for the comment, Margot. I’ve never had great success with browning in the oven as it does so unevenly. I always have good luck with a kitchen torch. If you are concerned about uncooked eggs, Italian meringue is a good option as the eggs are cooked during the process. Here’s a great post about it: http://bakingbites.com/2012/02/what-is-italian-meringue/.
Beautiful tarts!
Thanks Marla!
Fantastic recipe! I tried them out last night – and they were a big hit! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I’m attempting this recipe rn with smaller shells and a brown sugar crumble topping.. I just hope the tart filling softens down to be liquid-y enough to fit!
Sounds like a fun adaptation! I’d love to know how they turn out. Happy baking! 🙂
Love this flavor combination with the meringue! Can’t wait to try it!
I made this tonight for parents-in-law and we all agreed it’s one of the best pies we’ve ever eaten. Thanks for the treat! 🙂
Hi Analise – I’m the food writer for the Chester County Times chain of newspapers and am doing a roundup for Strawberry Month. I’d like to highlight your recipe idea with a photo and link to your website. Would this be ok with you? Cathy
Sure! Thanks Cathy.
Hello!
Keen to try your recipe but was wondering if you could make it the night before!? Or does it need to be made on the day?
Thanks!
Annalise
This looks like a great recipe and I’ll be trying it soon. Just FYI, I’ve noticed some other websites using your photography for completely different strawberry-rhubarb recipes, without giving you credit. You can check out one of them here: http://www.ibssano.com/low_fodmap_recipe_rhubarb_strawberry_meringue_pie.html
I hate to see that happen to good food bloggers. I am assuming they aren’t using your photo with permission; it’s also misleading as their recipe is NOT for what is pictured anyway. Hope you can resolve this.
These were fantastic! The only change I would make is to prepare 5 instead of just 4 as I had filling, dough and meringue left over. I made them for lunch with my niece and she was so impressed she took a picture of them!
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe, it’s perfect for this time of year with fresh strawberries & rhubarb!
PS – I browned mine with my kitchen torch and they came out perfectly!
very good! never had rhubarb before, love the tangy and tartness it brings to the dessert. Saving this recipe!