It's Lilac Time!!

He had no worldly treasures.
No fortune he possessed . . .
To leave unto his children,
But this was his bequest.
He left them all the beauties
Of earth and skies and seas . . .
The marvels of creation;
The brooks, the birds, the trees . . .
The salt wind on the marshes,
The primrose in the lane.
The green and golden meadows . . .
The sun, the stars, the rain.
The heather on the moorlands.
The swallows on the wing.
The snowdrops in the winter . . .
The lilacs in the spring.
~author unknown

We were sitting here last night watching the telly and I looked out the window and across the road behind a tall fence I saw lilacs in bloom and swaying in the wind.

Oh how I do love lilacs . . . they hold a special place in my heart. Their pretty purple and white flowers are so very beautiful and the scent . . .



why . . . the scent is pure heavenly bliss.

when I was a young bride, our first apartment had a drive lined by a lilac hedge and in the springtime it was a riot of bloom and scent. Oh how very wonderful it was to behold and to smell. I would bring armfull's of them into the house and set them out in vases . . . the perfume of the blooms working magic that nothing from a can ever could.



Down at the Manor where I worked there were several lovely lilac bushes, quite large in size, both a purple and a white. I could see them from where I worked in the kitchen and often admired them as I was washing up or puttering away.

We don't have a lilac bush here, but I may ask Todd if we can plant one. It would be so lovely out in the garden, taking over once the rhododendron finished it's springtime dance . . . and then we would have the lovely green of it's leaves throughout the summer . . .



Oh, it does sound a grand idea!

Wherever you are today I hope you have something pretty to look at and to smell. It is good medicine for whatever ails you!!

Here is some more good medicine for what ails you in the form of a lovely and simple Rhubarb Tart. I think Rhubarb has to be one of my favourite fruits and none is nicer than the early spring cuttings . . . so pink and tender. My mother used to give us sticks of rhubarb and bowls of sugar. We would dip the cut end of the rhubarb into the sugar and bite the ends off, doing this until we had eaten the whole stick. Oh how lovely it was . . . our cheeks would ache with the tartness of it all, but it was so good and such a rare treat!




*A Simple Rhubarb Tart*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

It's no secret that Rhubarb is one of my favourite fruits. Especially Rhubarb Pie, this is for when you get that craving, but haven't the time to make a whole pie. Quick, easy and scrumptious!

4 cups of rhubarb slices (about 1/2 inch in length)
Brown sugar
1 sheet of Puff pastry (either fresh or frozen)
milk to glaze the edges of the tart
a bit of demerara sugar to glaze the edges of the tart (In North America Turbinado sugar)
4 heaped tablespoons of vanilla pudding or custard
4 heaped tablespoons of mascarpone cheese



Prepare the rhubarb first. Preheat your oven to 205*C/425*F/Gas mark 7. Lay your rhubarb out in a single layer in a large baking dish with sides. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over top of it. (As much or as little as you want, it all depends on how tart you like your fruit) Bang it into the heated oven and roast the rhubarb for about 15 minutes, until softened but still holding it's shape. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, while you prepare the base. Keep the oven on.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray it with a bit of nonstick cooking spray. Unroll your puff pastry, and place it onto the baking sheet. Knock up the edges all the way around, creating a raised edge. Crimp with your fingertips. Prick the middle of the pastry all over and then brush the edges with some milk and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Place into the heated oven and bake for 15 minutes or so until nicely browned and crisp. Remove from the oven and knock the middle back down with the bottom of a spoon. Allow to cool completely.

Mix together the vanilla pudding (custard) and the mascarpone cheese. Spoon this mixture into the centre of the tart, spreading it to fill the base. Take your rhubarb and spoon it over top of the pudding mixture, covering it and only adding as much of the juices as you desire. Serve immediatly, cut into squares. You can have an additional topping of sweetened whipped cream if you desire.

Note - This tart is not a keeper so must be eaten on the day and soon after preparation. If you don't want a big tart as that, bake your puff pastry into individual tart shapes and only fill and top as many as you need at one time.



Over on The English Kitchen today, more sweets to tempt your sweet tooth. Chai Cupcakes!

If you could spare a few Happy Thoughts for my good friend Hazel, it would be much appreciated. She is going into hospital for a hip replacement operation tomorrow and I hope it all goes well. Thanks!!