Cathy: Desserts featuring rhubarb have been on prairie menus for generations. Though actually a vegetable, rhubarb prefers cool weather which is, of course perfect for this northern state. Both tangy and sour, most recipes have you add (a lot) of sugar and perhaps another fruit to round out a dessert with rhubarb in it – thus enter strawberries, which also thrive in the cool state of North Dakota.
I love making this pie because I can use my rhubarb from the garden – and I’m at a loss as to what else to make using my ever reliable rhubarb plant, which faithfully sprouts new stalks every spring – other than Strawberry Rhubarb jam. We also love to make the trek to Brentwood to Chans Fruit Stand to pick up freshly picked strawberries this time of year.
This time around, I served the pie on Saturday night during dinner in our backyard with good friends. It almost always requires a nice scoop on top of the fresh out of the oven dessert.
Prep time – 3 hours (includes making the pie crust) Bake time – 50 min Makes 1 pie
- 1 double pie crust (use your own recipe or buy a ready-made)
- 3 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
- 2 & 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- Optional – course sugar for garnish
Prepare the pie crust and carefully place the bottom crust dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers.
Make the filling: Stir the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, white sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Set filling aside as the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving all of the extra liquid in the bowl (you don’t want that in the filling – discard it). Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling.
Place the top crust dough on top of the pie and tuck it in. (You can also do a lattice top crust). Cut slits in the top crust to form steam vents. Trim the edges. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg/milk mixture. Sprinkle the top with a little coarse sugar, if desired. Place the pie onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, you may want to place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
Allow the pie to cool for 3 hours before serving, if you can. The time allows the pie filling to thicken up a bit.
-> Recipe from Sallybakingaddiction.com
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