Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
It’s still spring, and we’re still using rhubarb from Grandma’s Garden…
In my last column, I talked about making rhubarb crisp for my son-in-law using rhubarb grown from transplants taken from his grandma’s garden (see note about this below). But before Mike’s grandma’s cherished recipe for rhubarb crisp was re-discovered, and because Mike loves rhubarb, and I love Mike, I made a strawberry-rhubarb pie for him each spring, using the rhubarb he transplanted into his garden. Strawberry and rhubarb – it’s one of nature’s perfect taste combinations.
Because this is a spring tradition for our family, when those first rhubarb stalks in his garden are ready, I go over and pull some, grab a box of strawberries, and make this first-taste-of-spring pie for him. And I make one for us. He gets a pie, and we get a pie…we all get a pie. Except for the non-rhubarb lovers in our family (for some reason my daughter and their twins do not like rhubarb – I do not know what’s wrong with them), and that’s okay, because more pie for him!
And now…. You get a pie! Here is the recipe that I’ve had for so long, I’m not sure how long I’ve had it. Long enough that the ink is fading, and the paper is wearing away.
STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB PIE
3-1/2 to 4 cups of rhubarb, diced
1 – 16-ounce container of strawberries, quartered
½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
½ cup granulated white sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for crust glaze)
Prepared pie dough for double-crust pie (use your favorite recipe)
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly to blend.
Place the bottom (unbaked) pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, press in firmly, and trim, leaving about a 3/4-inch overhang. Spoon the filling into the crust.
Roll out the top crust and cut into 14 strips, each ½-inch wide. (Using a pizza cutter works great for this.) Arrange seven of the strips over the pie, leaving space between each one, but going edge to edge. Then crisscross weave the other seven strips, creating a lattice top*. Trim the top crust to be even with the bottom one and fold under to seal tightly. (*If you’d prefer not to make a lattice top, place the whole top crust over the filling, seal as instructed, and cut some slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.) Brush the egg yolk/water glaze over top of the pie.
Place pie plate on a baking sheet (to guard against dripping into your oven). Bake pie for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue to bake until top is golden and filling thickens and bubbles, about 1 hour and 25 minutes total time.
Place pie on rack to cool completely. We love this pie served with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, but whipped cream would be good too. Store the pie, covered, in the refrigerator.
(Helpful tip: to reheat the pie, heat oven to 350°. Place pie on a baking sheet and cover lightly with foil – to prevent over browning. Heat for 15 minutes, and your pie will be warm and crispy again!)
These rhubarb treats of pies and crisps are some of the best gifts I can give to my son-in-law. Because, and I will repeat this from my previous story, as I certainly think it bears repeating: As Mike said to me - this is a gift of blending our families together– it’s a melding of memories and family talents, portraying the love of being family. His grandma gave him the rhubarb, which he now gives to me, which I bake into a pie, and then I give it back to him. It’s the perfect family circle of love.
(I’ll add a little P.S here: Since my last column about the rhubarb crisp, I did my best to recreate that recipe. Filling in the blanks on the written recipe, and using my intuition, I used 3 cups of rhubarb and 1-1/2 TBSP flour in the filling. For the topping, I used: 1-1/4 cups quick oats, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 TBSP flour, and 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter. I baked it in an 8x8 glass pan at 350° for 35 minutes. And it turned out just like the rhubarb crisp my son-in-law loved to eat at his grandparents’ farm when he was growing up. Success!)
I hope you enjoy these treasured family recipes and the stories of love behind them. I, and other members of this recipe-sharing community, would really love to learn about recipes and stories from your families. Please join in and submit them to: ourgrandmasrecipebox@gmail.com (no worries – anonymity is guaranteed if you like)
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