I love to bake, and strawberry rhubarb pie is hard to beat.
Nothing has the sweet taste of summer like fresh strawberry rhubarb pie.
You can use a pre-made crust, but nothing tops the Joy of Cooking‘s Deluxe Flakey Pastry. Sure, it’s full of butter. But it’s pastry! That’s the point of pastry, right?
Making your own pie crust isn't as hard as you might think, and it tastes even better than it looks!
You don’t need fancy pastry-making tools. For years, I made my pie crust with 2 forks and an empty wine bottle for a rolling pin. Don’t let the lack of special tools deter you!
Approach pastry making with the enthusiasm of a child & it's hard to go wrong.
Once you’ve got your pastry, it’s time for the filling. I’m a no-fuss sort of baker, and I like the simple recipes provided on the back of the Minute Tapioca box.
They offer a great starting point, especially if you’re new to baking fruit pies.
Plus, I prefer tapioca over corn starch as a thickener.
Here’s my modified recipe:
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Pastry for 2 crusts
2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 – 1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Minute Tapioca
zest of 1 orange
Mix together fruit, sugar, tapioca & zest. Let stand 15 minutes.
Line pie dish with pastry. Fill with fruit. Dot with 1 Tablespoon butter. Top with 2nd pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut slits on top to allow steam to escape.
Bake ~45 minutes at 400F degrees, until juices bubble and crust is golden.
Golden pastry crust with a sprinkle of sugar... Mmmm!
If you use frozen fruit, add another 1/2 cup or so (each) to make up for the air space in your measuring cup. Do not allow fruit to thaw completely, or you’ll end up with some very wet filling.
Both rhubarb and strawberries keep beautifully in the freezer. For rhubarb, simply wash the stalks, cut into 1/2 inch chunks and toss into a plastic bag.
Strawberries will retain their individuality if frozen on a cookie sheet without touching.
For strawberries, I prefer to set individual fruits out on a cookie sheet to freeze, then toss into plastic bag. Freezing first on a cookie sheet helps the fruit stay in individual pieces.
Mmm... local strawberries picked at the height of ripeness ready to be frozen for later use.
So there you have it… Fresh strawberry rhubarb pie made easy.
Homemade strawberry rhubarb pie is absolutely worth the effort.
If you’ve never had it before, I encourage you to give it a try. Then come back and tell me what you think. I’d be astonished if it wasn’t at the top of your favorite treats.
Carrie Cahill Mulligan 