Mini Rhubarb Puff Tarts

Mini rhubarb pop tarts made with puff pastry make a sweet treat.
metrocurean photo

After making a batch of rhubarb quick jam and embarking on a freezer purge that turned up a package of Dufour puff pastry, I thought I'd try out a batch of rhubarb pop tarts. I was planning to make a batch of pie dough to use as the crust but with Project Freezer Purge under way, I decided to see how the puff pastry would do.

It's important to dock the pastry with plenty of holes to minimize the puffiness, but even so, these delicious little pastries were more puff tarts than pop tarts (hat tip to Nycci for the name). They would make a perfect treat for a weekend brunch.

Mini Rhubarb Puff Tarts

makes 16 mini tarts

1 batch of rhubarb quick jam (recipe below)
1 package of puff pastry (I like Dufour, available in the freezer section at Whole Foods)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Thaw the puff pastry according to the instructions, and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a roughly 20x12 inch rectangle. Cut the dough with a knife or pizza cutter into halves until you have 32 small rectangles.

With a fork, pierce each piece of dough full of holes. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of each piece with the egg wash. Spoon one teaspoon of rhubarb jam into one piece of dough and cover with a second piece. Seal the edges with a fork. Brush the top with egg wash and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the tarts have been assembled. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Bake the tarts for 17-20 minutes until the top have lightly browned. Let cool and enjoy!

Rhubarb Quick Jam

6 stalks rhubarb, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan, stir well, and heat over medium-high until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook stirring occasionally until the rhubarb has broken down and the jam begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Store the jam in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.