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.
