I have mentioned this pie before. It has been a welcome to the friend group pie, a good bye and good luck pie, and now, inaugural new kitchen pie. The strawberry rhubarb pie.
Yes, inaugurating the new kitchen! Unfortunately…does something seem to be missing here?
Yep. No stove. It ended up being a wiring problem so the floor will come back up, and I have had it. Instead, we pulled out my great grandmother’s 55 year old turkey roaster to allay my pie making jones. In typing this up I realized that this sounds a little extreme, but after a month and a half of living through a kitchen remodel where everything goes awry, you build up a lot of rage. A successful pie would let that pressure leak on out. And it did. So let us celebrate inaugural pie. And yes, this is from the pieble.
This filling waited patiently in the freezer for two weeks.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Cornmeal Crumb Crust
For the filling:
3 c rhubarb sliced into 1/2 in thick pieces
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
zest 1 lemon
4 c strawberries, halved, quartered if particularly gigantic
1/4 c instant tapioca
For the crumb crust:
3/4 c flour
1/4 c fine cornmeal
2/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
Prepare the bottom pastry crust of your choice.
When making your pastry crust do not confuse your chilled water with your beer.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Chop your rhubarb and mix in the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Let juice for fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, roll out your pastry crust and put it in the freezer to firm up to protect your pretty scalloped edge during filling and baking.
At least I have counter space now!
Add the strawberries and tapioca to the rhubarb and mix well, then fill the pie crust.
Unbaked strawberry rhubarb pie filling is actually not that pretty.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Let’s make the crumb crust. Mix all dry ingredients ( flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt).
Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter over dry ingredients. Using a pasty cutter, two knives, or whatever you find most comfortable, cut the fat into the flour until you reach the consistency of small gravel.
Remove pie from oven and cover with crumb crust. Reduce the temperature to 375 F.
Bake for another 40 minutes or until the juices are bubbling thickly along the sides.
The turkey roaster did a good job! It took a little longer, the crust was a touch dry on the edges, but the filling was delicious, and I was less angry at the kitchen afterwards. Win for everyone.
Your commitment to the art of pie baking astounds and inspires me. Plus, this pie has a very special place in my heart, obviously.