Rhubarb and strawberries turnovers (Chausson aux pommes )

Rhubarb and Strawberry Seduction Turnovers (Chausson aux pommes in nouvel look)

Ideas come to us in our most unexpected moments.

Since were back from our one month vacation, I seem to run out of energy and inspiration for my food blog. I guess it's because of the ton of things I have to do at home that piled up due to my long absence. And besides I terribly miss the warm weather in the islands that we enjoyed, the cool weather of France makes me feel a little bit depressive these past few days. But last Friday, while roaming in the market my eyes was caught by the beautiful reddish green stalks of rhubarb and bloody red strawberries. The idea just popped into my head like that. I felt like Archimedes running (nude??) with my brilliant idea and shouting eureka, eureka when I thought of this recipe.

My Almanac of ancient fruits and vegetables claim that this beautiful stalks originated in Tibet and found it's way in France through St. Petersburg Botanical Garden

One pattisserie in France that I have always loved since the first time I tasted them are the chausson aux pommes (apple turnovers or literally apple slippers). I just had this crazy idea to replace the apples with rhubarb and strawberries. And guess what was the result. A good and a bad. First the bad news, my hubby hated the smell of the rhubarb as I simmer it in sugar syrup. For someone who's not a vegetable lover, he find the smell too strong. But the good news though, when my rhubarb and strawberries turnovers were done from the oven. He loved it!

And that's how I suceeded in posting an article for today!

I am sending over this recipe to Mikes-Table Food Blogging Event: Strawberry Seduction. Hope my turnovers will seduce him :-)

King Louis 14th finally enjoyed this delicate and highly perfumed berries after hybriding about 600 varieties from the original specie brought from France 18th century expedition in Chili

Rhubarb and strawberries Turnovers

about 5- 6 stalks of fresh rhubarb
300 g of strawberries
100 g of sugar
250 g of puff pastry dough (ready to use) or a home-made (if you have plenty of time)

Clean the strawberries and rhubarb. Cut the stalks (you can take off it's skin to avoid having to much fiber on your turnovers) of rhubarb 2 to 3 centimeters. Macerate the rhubarb and strawberries in sugar for a minimum of one hour. We can normally cook the two together but I opted to cook the rhubarb separely and mix it in blender. Afterwhich I added it to the macerated strawberries and cook them together over medium fire uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes until the syrup thickens. Cut the pastry dough based on your desired form. Fill each with a serving of the cooled strawberry and rhubarb preserve. Pre-heat the oven at 200° celsius for 15 minutes then lower the temperature at 180° celsius and bake it for 15 to twenty minutes.

My almanac suggests apples and rhubarb crumble...better try that next time!