Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Season

The first strawberry rhubarb pie of the season is always such a welcome treat. Whether it comes from the bakery, a friend’s oven, or my own kitchen, I look forward to the delicious flavor that these two fruits work together to achieve. The good news is that this pie can really be made year-round, with frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb. But still, nothing beats fresh fruit in a pie. I like how the filling in this strawberry rhubarb pie is quite straightforward, and everything needed was already on hand in the pantry. Tapioca or arrowroot starches are a substitute for corn starch, so that can be used instead if that is what’s available.

And this pie crust was a definite success: flaky and buttery, but without being too heavy. I’m still working on my pie-making skills, so my lattice tops are not anywhere near perfection; that’s why I like to do a dough crumble to top the pie. But practice would certainly lead to much prettier pies, so maybe with the bounty of summer fruit on its way, I can work a bit harder on my pastry skills. No matter how it looks, though, this sweet and tart pie is absolutely satisfying; I’m already looking forward to making another one.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Adapted from Nourishing Traditions

Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients:
Flaky Pie Crust-
1 1/3 cups unbleached white flour
Pinch sea salt
Pinch sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 Tbsp. cold water
Filling-
2 cups rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 cups strawberries, sliced
½ cup whole cane sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. tapioca starch or arrowroot
2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Crust-
1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Add the egg yolks, then the cold water, and immediately blend together well, preferably with your hands.
2. Turn the dough onto a large sheet of wax paper and form into a ball. Wrap it up, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Pie-
1. Preheat oven to 450º F. Place the rhubarb and strawberries into a large bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, tapioca starch and toss together. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Butter or grease a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out the dough and press into the pie plate, reserving some for the topping of the pie.
3. Fill the pie crust with the filling, and dot with small pieces of butter. Top with lattice work or dough crumbles.
4. Bake at 450º for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º and bake another 35-45 minutes, watching it carefully for the last 10 minutes. The crust should be brown, the filling should be bubbling slightly. Let cool, and serve warm or cold.