I feel like I have done variations on strawberry-rhubarb-corn tartlets in the past, but this one really takes the cake(or pie/tart?). Mostly because of the technique that went into making it. I wanted to make sure that strawberry, rhubarb, and corn were each used in two different preparations in this recipe – ironically, the tart shell itself is the only thing that lacked any of those ingredients, although in retrospect, I totally would have done a corn short crust pastry if I could revise anything in this recipe! Additionally, from a technical standpoint, a LOT of work went into making this tart. The pastry itself, there being a confiture(fancy way of saying a jam where the fruit, in this case rhubarb, is not completely cooked down) and a corn butter mochi filling in the shell, a topping of corn pastry cream, fresh glazed strawberries, and candied rhubarb ribbons. The strawberries themselves, I went with Harry’s Berries, which are a fancy Californian strawberry that is modeled after Japanese strawberries – they are sweet, super tender, juicy, and cost over twice the value of a normal strawberry. But they are so worth it, especially when you are using them in a strawberry baked good/to garnish the top of said strawberry baked good! For the corn flavor, I used Japanese corn powder(which I have used in the past for other corn recipes), but you can sub that out with freeze-dried corn powder instead, ala Milkbar. I just prefer my Japanese corn powder because it has a lighter finish than the freeze-dried stuff, but both will get you across the finish line in terms of introducing corn flavor to the dessert! I have always loved the combination of strawberry and rhubarb, as well as strawberry and corn(though I now need to try corn and rhubarb separately on that note), since the former combination plays on the tartness of red fruit, and the latter plays on summery flavors, as well as tartness against sweetness. The three together have a really nice synergy, and make for a pleasantly balanced, summery take on a strawberry tart!

For the components, we have a short crust pastry, a strawberry-rhubarb confiture, a corn butter mochi, corn pastry cream, glazed strawberries, and candied rhubarb ribbons and confectioner’s sugar to finish. In terms of which components take the longest, easily the tart shell, the butter mochi filling, and the rhubarb. The shell, you need to rest the dough, roll the dough, and freeze the dough before you can even bake it off. Now you can technically bake the dough as soon as you weigh it down with the parchment and baking weights, but I find that the shell contracts/shrinks a lot less when you freeze/refrigerate it first. The confiture, while not technically difficult, still takes time to make, although I will admit that the corn butter mochi batter comes together really quickly once you get the brown butter made. It is more time-consuming because you have to first make the confiture, spread that into the tart shell, then pour the butter mochi batter in, and bake all of that together. From the confiture to baking off the butter mochi, that is probably another hour to hour and a half that you need to spend doing all of that. For the pastry cream, that came together in less than 10 minutes, but a cool note here is that instead of using cornstarch, you are using the corn powder, which contains cornstarch anyways, to thicken the cream with! It works really well as a thickening agent, while also imparting corn flavor into the custard! And then the rhubarb. Luckily, the glaze for the strawberries is made during the rhubarb ribbon portion of this recipe. But the ribbons themselves require you to poach thin shavings of rhubarb in simple syrup(which will be repurposed to glaze sliced strawberries in), and then dehydrate the shaved rhubarb on low heat for 2 hours. Poaching the rhubarb in syrup first introduces sugar to the rhubarb, while dehydrating that allows the sugar to slowly crystalize the rhubarb into this gorgeously thin, translucent ribbons. We need a glaze for the strawberries, in this case the simple syrup, since the berries will just dry out if you slice them and leave them on top unglazed. All in all, I would give this recipe an 8/10 for difficulty, but a 10/10 for being laborious and time-consuming, although I can tell you now, that the end result is the perfect blend of sweet, buttery, and tart, and it will be your new favorite pie if you like strawberries or corn!

For the shortbread crust:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

In a bowl, mix everything but the flour until a softened, sweetened butter mixture forms. Fold into that the flour to create your dough. Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes, then roll it out to fit into an 8-inch springform tart tin. Press the pastry into the sides of the tin, trimming off any excess, and prick the bottom of the pastry that is touching the base of the tart tin. Weigh the pastry down with parchment and baking weights(I use rice), and refrigerate/freeze the shell for at least 10 minutes. Then bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Then remove the parchment and baking weights, and bake for another 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.

For the strawberry-rhubarb confiture:
1/2 cup pureed strawberries
2 stalks rhubarb, small-diced
2 tbsp granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

In a pot on medium-low heat, stir everything, but the rhubarb, together for approximately 10 minutes – the end result will be jammy and thick. Take the pot off heat and stir in the rhubarb. Spread that onto the bottom of the baked tart shell in an even layer.

For the corn butter mochi:
2/3 cups mochiko
1/3 cup Japanese corn powder
1 stick unsalted butter, browned
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg whites

In a bowl, mix everything together until combined. Pour and distribute the batter in an even layer on top of the baked tart shell, which will still be in the tin, that has already been filled with the confiture. Cover the sides of the shell with aluminum foil(this will keep the sides from burning), and bake at 375 degrees F for another 40 minutes. Freeze the tart for at least 1 hour before attempting to unmold from the tin.

For the corn pastry cream:
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp Japanese corn powder
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsalted butter

In a pot, bring the milk to a simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, corn powder, salt, and sugar together, and pour half of the heated milk into that bowl while whisking the egg yolks. Transfer the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with the rest of the milk, and begin whisking that mixture on medium heat until it begins to cling to the sides of your whisk. Take it off heat again, and whisk in the vanilla and butter. Pass the pastry cream through a sieve to remove any lumps. Place a layer of cling wrap on top of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until time to assemble.

For the rhubarb ribbons:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 stalk rhubarb

In a pot, bring water, sugar, and salt to a simmer. Shave the rhubarb on a mandolin on the 2nd-thinnest setting. Poach the rhubarb in the still-hot liquid for 5 minutes, off heat. Line a sheet tray with parchment and cooking spray. Strain the rhubarb out of the poaching liquid, reserving that for the glaze. Lay the rhubarb out on the sheet and bake at 200 degrees F for 2 hours. Store in an airtight container.

For the glaze:
Reserved rhubarb poaching liquid

Reduce the liquid by half in a pot. Allow it to cool down before using in your final assembly.

To garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Confectioner’s sugar

Spread the corn pastry cream on top of the tart in an even circle. Cut the strawberries in half, and toss with the glaze. Garnish the top of the tart with the glazed berries and your rhubarb ribbons. Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar.