To me, nothing says summer better than strawberry rhubarb pie! Growing up, I discovered my love for rhubarb in this pie. And now, I am absolutely spoiled with fresh rhubarb grown right outside the cafe door of the Harrison House Suites.

This recipe is from one of our favorite cookbooks, “Baking Illustrated” by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. As you can see, it’s gotten lots of love and been the source of many recipes! We always have to add our own little spin on each recipe though.

Notes from the cookbook: If any leaves remain attached to the rhubarb, be sure to trim them; they are toxic. Try to find bright red rhubarb as it has the best flavor. Arrowroot, a very fine white powder used as a thickener, is found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.

Ingredients

For Filling
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, ends trimmed, peeled if the outer layer is especially fibrous, and cut into 1-inch pieces (5-6 cups)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, reserved

3 tablespoons arrowroot

A pinch of salt

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 5 cups)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons grated zest from 1 orange, optional

1 egg white, lightly beaten

For  Double Crust
2 1/4 cups all-­purpose flour

7 oz European unsalted butter

1/2 tsp finely ground sea salt

4 1/2 Tbsp ice water

Specialty Equipment
pie weights

Method

Preparing Filling

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has shed most of its liquid but is still firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and refrigerate until cool.
• In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of the sugar, the arrowroot, and salt. In a large bowl, toss together strawberries, cooled rhubarb, vanilla, and orange zest (if using). Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top and stir to combine.

 

Preparing Crust

• Process flour, butter, and salt in food processor until mixture resembles a course meal. Add water in a steady stream and pulse until dough forms a ball. For a flakier crust, rub butter and dry ingredients between your fingers until it is incorporated. Make a well in the flour mixture and add water. Knead until dough forms holds a ball. Divide dough in half and form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic; refrigerate one hour or overnight.
• Remove 1 piece of dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated for longer than one hour, let stand). Roll dough on a lightly floured work surface, or between 2 large sheets of parchment paper, into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling dough around the rolling pin and unrolling over the pan. Working around the circumference of the pan, ease dough into the pan corners by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while gently pressing into the pan bottom with the other hand. Leave dough that overhangs the lip of the pie plate in place; refrigerate until needed. Freeze for 1 hour or until ready to blind bake. This step makes for a flakier crust.
• Roll out top crust and store between parchment on baking sheet in refrigerator until ready to use.
• Blind Bake Crust:  Preheat oven to 400°. Line pie crust with parchment that has been prepared with cooking spray. Fill crust with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 10 minutes.
  Remove pie weights and foil; cook for an additional 7-­8 minutes. Crust will appear under-cooked. Cool until ready to use. May be made one day in advance.

 

Assembling Pie

• Spoon fruit evenly into the pie shell and pack lightly. Place the top piece of dough over filling. Trim the edges of the top and bottom dough layers to 1/2 inch beyond the pan lip. Tuck this rim underneath itself so that the folded edge is flush with the pan lip. Flute the edge or press with fork tunes to seal. Cut 8 slits in the dough top or decorate as desired. If pie dough is very soft, place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Brush crust top with the egg white and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

 

Baking

• Place pie on the hot baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate pie front to back and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees; continue baking until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Cool pie on a wire rack until room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before serving.

 

Now Admire Your Work!

And, of course, test it out! My all time favorite dessert is fresh, warm pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. YUM. If you love pie as much as me but don’t want to go through all the work of making it yourself, you can always stay with us at the Harrison House Suites and we’ll do all the work!