Summer is officially here and one ingredient that is synonymous with summer to me is rhubarb. It won't be long before those delicious red stalks disappear from store shelves, so now is the time to take advantage of them. Around this time last year, I posted a recipe for apple maple rhubarb jam as well as a recipe for breaded pork chops to go with it. 

This time round I'm posting a recipe for a rhubarb dessert. I loves me some strawberry rhubarb pie, so I thought it would fun to post a twist on that great summer classic. The idea came about when the chef from Chez Ma Grosse Truie Chéri and I were tossing around ideas for the new dessert menu. We both agreed that rhubarb was a great summer flavour, but we didn't want to do a straightforward strawberry rhubarb pie. The best thing about this recipe is that it's meant to be served cold, so it's extra refreshing on a hot summer's day. You can even freeze the pies. The different textures as the mousse and jam slowly defrosts is really cool and delicious.

If you want you can use the same recipe given here to make one large pie, but I find the little individual pies really cute, and I'm kinda a sucker for such things. If you can't find rhubarb, or are just not a fan of the tart flavour, you can easily replace the rhubarb with more strawberries or other fruits like blueberries or raspberries. 

Prep: 1 hour

Makes 6 individual portion pies

Ingredients:

Shortbread crust:

1/2 lbs butter, cubed

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 egg yolks

2 pinch salt

Filling:

1 1/2 cup strawberries

1 1/2 cups rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 tbs gelatin

1 cup 35% whipping cream

1. To make the crust, mix the butter with the sugar and salt until well combined. Stir in the egg yolks and then mix in the flour one cup at a time. Mix until the dough is crumbly. Press the dough into 6 mini aluminum pie shells. Transfer the shells to the freezer for about 20 minutes to allow the dough to harden.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and then bake the shells until they just start to brown, about 20-25 minutes.

3. To make the filling, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, and sugar in a pot and add a few drop of water. Simmer on medium-low heat until the fruit is very soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Mix the gelatin with 4 tablespoons of water and stir well. Allow the filling to cool a bit and then puree with a blender. As the puree blends, add the gelatin. Allow the puree to cool down to room temperature.

5. To make the mousse, whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in half the fruit puree.

6. Once the pie shells have cooled, fill each shell halfway with fruit puree. Top each pie with mousse and then garnish with one fresh strawberry. 

 Derek Bocking is a professional chef with over 15 years culinary experience. On his blog, Derek's Kitchen, he shares restaurant-style recipes for amateur gourmets to try at home, from quick and easy meals to more elaborate showstoppers.