Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

By Nutrition & Food, Recipe

What a good-looking pie, if I don’t say so myself!!!  I do apologize for forgetting to snap a pic of my slice of warm strawberry-rhubarb pie with melting vanilla bean ice cream….but I was so excited to eat it!!  And I do love me a good piece of pie!  Of the several rhubarb pie recipes I’ve experimented with this one is by far my fav.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

All-Butter Double Crust:

  • 4 T + 16 T chilled unsalted butter
  • 1-1/2 c + 1 c flour
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2-1/2 T lemon zest, grated or finely chopped
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 c + 1/4 c ice water
Grate 4 T butter on large holes of box grater & place in freezer.  Cut 16 T butter into 1/2″ cubes.
 
Pulse 1-1/2 c flour, sugar & salt in food processor until combined, 2 pulses.  Add cubed butter & process until homogeneous paste forms, 40-50 sec.  Using your hands, carefully break paste into 2″ chunks & redistribute evenly around processor blade.
 
Add remaining 1 c flour & pulse until mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1″, 4-5 pulses.  Transfer mixture to a bowl.  Add grated butter & toss until butter pieces are separated & coated with flour.
 
Sprinkle 1/4 c ice water over mixture.  Toss with rubber spatula until mixture is evenly moistened.  Sprinkle another 1/4 c ice water over mixture & toss to combine.  Press dough with spatula until dough sticks together.
 
Using spatula, divide dough into 2 equal portions.  Press dough into compact, flattened 5″ disc.  Put disc in Ziploc bag (or wrap in plastic) & repeat with other 1/2 of dough.  Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hrs or up to 2 days.  Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 min, before rolling.
 

Filling:

  • 2 lb rhubarb, trimmed & cut into 1/2″ pieces (7 cups)
  • 1-1/4 c sugar
  • 1 lb strawberries, hulled, halved if less than 1″, quartered if more than 1″
  • 3 T instant tapioca
  • 3 T sugar (for sprinkling on top crust)

Combine rhubarb & sugar in bowl & microwave for 1-1/2 min.  Stir & continue to microwave until sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 min longer.

Stir in 1 c strawberries & set aside for 30 min, stirring once halfway through.

Drain rhubarb mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over large saucepan.  Return drained rhubarb mixture to bowl & set aside.  Add remaining strawberries to rhubarb liquid & cook over med-high heat until strawberries are very soft & mixture is reduced to 1-1/2 c, about 10-15 min.  Mash berries with fork (mixture does not have to be smooth).  Add strawberry mixture & tapioca to drained rhubarb mixture & stir to combine.  Set aside.

To make the pie:

Place baking sheet on rack in middle position of oven & preheat oven (and baking sheet) to 425 deg.

Roll out dough for top & bottom crusts keeping each half chilled while working with the other half.  Place bottom crust in pie pan.  Trim crust edge to overhang by 1″.  Put strawberry-rhubarb filling into crust & evenly distribute.  Add top crust over filling & trim edge to just beyond edge of bottom crust.  Fold top crust under bottom crust & decoratively pinch to seal.  Brush surface thoroughly with water & sprinkle with 3 T sugar.

Using sharp knife, make 8 evenly spaced slits in top crust to let steam escape.  (Note – Those 8 slits also serve as a guide for cutting even pieces!)

Bake on baking sheet until crust is set and begins to brown, about 25 min.  Rotate pie & reduce oven temperature to 375 deg.  Continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown & filling is bubbling, 30-40 min longer.

Cool completely on rack.  Enjoy as is or with vanilla ice cream!

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

If you’re interested in other “pie” recipes, check these out:

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *