Family Cookbook: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My family is definitely a pie family. We grew up eating wonderful fresh fruit pies every summer—and even in the winter, thanks to a technique I’ll share with you a bit later when the weather gets cold. Last night, my mother made the most delicious looking strawberry rhubarb pie, and was gracious enough to share the (extremely easy!!) recipe with me. While you may not be intimately familiar with rhubarb, I promise you will love it in pie form. This is the perfect summer pie that you can eat hot or cold, and it pairs perfectly with vanilla ice cream. The strawberries make it sweet, while the rhubarb offsets them with just the right amount of sour.    
 

 

 A note from the baker:

"Think about all the pies you’ve eaten that look cosmetically perfect, but taste doughy, too sweet or pre-fab. Not this one – messy and delicious. Oil crust is thinner, lighter and flakier than a butter crust, letting the pie filling dominate."

Flaky Pie Crust:

2 ¼ cups unbleached flour

¼ tsp. salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the above ingredients together until blended.

Divide dough into two parts; shape each half into a round ball using your hands.

Place the first ball between 2 sheets of waxed paper (hint: sprinkle a few drops of water under the bottom sheet of waxed paper to keep it from moving around as you roll).

Flatten with a rolling pin and (slowly!) remove the top sheet of paper.

Use the bottom sheet of wax paper to flip the flattened crust into your pie pan, then tidy up the shape of the crust however you like.

Prick crust several times with a fork to prevent air bubbles.

Pre-bake the bottom crust on lower third of oven for 10 minutes.  

Cool on wire rack while preparing the filling (below).

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

Approximately 5 cups fruit total: half strawberries and half fresh rhubarb

1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch (to thicken the juices a little)

A dash of cinnamon

Cut strawberries in half or quarters (depending on size of your berries).

Cut rhubarb in ½ inch-1 inch pieces. When cutting rhubarb, remove any stringy sections of skin that show up; otherwise, leave skins on.

Mix in sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.

Fill prepared bottom crust - I like to dome the fruit in the center; it usually flattens out with baking.

Roll out top crust, using same method to flip crust onto pie using the waxed paper.

Poke top crust with a fork several times to vent during baking; baste with milk and sprinkle sugar over the top.

Bake pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350 and bake for 45 minutes or until ready.

This is a messy pie in the oven. Like all juicy fruit pies it tends to leak, so it's best to make an

Aluminum foil boat underneath to catch the drippings.