I have been waiting impatiently for strawberry season to begin. Strawberries here are sweet, red jewels bursting with flavour. The season is late in starting where I live due to the cold, wet spring. I have been eyeing my friend's rhubarb plants with the evil plan of relieving her of it when the strawberries come in, so that I could make a Strawberry Rhubarb pie. But the cold, rainy days continued. The rhubarb matured and the strawberries remained infuriatingly green. I made the decision to go ahead with my vegetable larceny. The rhubarb was ruby red, still firm and juicy inside. The stalks snapped off the plant with a quick tug. I trimmed the leaves and they went back on the garden bed under the rest of the plants as mulch for next year.
The crisp scent of the cut stalks foretold the tart brightness of the rhubarb and strawberries together. Balanced with a rich, buttery crust and the tangy-sweet creaminess of the Mascarpone Whipped Cream, I was ready to get this party started!
