Strawberry Rhubarb Pie + Lattice Crust Tutorial

 
Warning: Creating this pie might have been beginner's luck; however, lucky for you, I know exactly what I did! Prior to buying the ingredients for this pie, I had never seen or eaten rhubarb. Why then would I make a Strawberry Rhubarb pie? Well, my friend's dad has talked about loving Strawberry Rhubarb pies for the four years I have known him. Just so happened that as I was grocery shopping last week, I saw some rhubarb in the produce section. Given that the strawberries were looking especially juicy and I had never seen rhubarb in the grocery store before, I thought this might be one of my only chances to make the famed Strawberry Rhubarb pie I had heard so much about. Therefore, I bought the strawberries and the rhubarb and assumed that I would surely have everything necessary to pull off this pie.

After a significant amount of research, I decided on my recipe and technique for the pie. Turns out that this pie requires knowing a few tips to avoid having a runny mess on your hands! Fear, not I'm here to pass those tips on to you.

However, I believe that the pie was a success - not only because I was specifically told so, but also because of its rate of consumption. It took 3 people about 15 minutes to eat over half of the pie - I call that pure success!

So, what can we take away from this story?

1.  A fantastic Strawberry rhubarb pie recipe, duh. 
2. Courage to buy random ingredients that you've always heard of, but never tried (or seen).
3. A tip to listen to your friend's parents favorite foods!

  Notes:

• I forgot to take pictures for the lattice tutorial, so if you are a more visual person try this website for pictures. Lattice crust is actually very easy after you understand the concept, plus it makes a beautiful pie. The pictures framing this Notes section should give you a nice feel for the concept.
• I make a point to use the lattice crust for this pie to allow extra steam to escape from the pie, to ensure it will not be runny. If you choose not to make a lattice crust, vent the top pie crust very well.
• Make sure you let the strawberry - rhubarb mixture sit the full 30 minutes!
• This is not a pull out of the oven and cut immediately type pie. For best results, make it ahead and it will set beautifully. It is wonderful at room temperature or cold, and also microwaves beautifully.
• There is no need to precook the rhubarb, it will roast beautifully in the oven. Do not fear, you will not end up with a crunchy finish.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

1 lb. fresh rhubarb
2 pints fresh strawberries
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
Ground Cinnamon, for sprinkling
1 recipe for a double crusted 9 in. pie (or 1 box of rolled pie crust)
1 egg
1 T. water
Course Sugar (optional)

Clean the strawberries and rhubarb very well.  Hull the strawberries and slice them into rough quarters into a large bowl.

Split the rhubarb stalks in half lengthwise and then chop them into 1/4 in. pieces as you would chop celery. Place the chopped rhubarb into the bowl with the strawberries.

Mix the sugar and flour into the bowl containing the fruit well enough to coat everything. Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure everything is coated.

After the mixture has set, preheat your oven to 400.

Line your pie pan with the bottom crust. Lay the top crust onto a flat surface that you can cut on. Cut the dough into 1/2 - 3/4 in. strips. Move every other strip to another location, keeping them in order. Pour the filling into the prepared pie pan. Sprinkle ground cinnamon lightly over the top of the filling.

Lay one of the halves of pie crust strips on top of the filled pie vertically, maintaining the spacing where you removed every other strip (1/2 to 3/4 in. spacing). Once this is complete, fold back every other vertical strip on the pie half way back. You will start in the middle of the pie and then do each half individually.

Place the appropriate length reserved pie crust strip horizontally against the end of the folded vertical strips. Unfold the vertical strips and you will begin to see the weaving pattern.  Next, fold back the vertical strips that are underneath the last horizontal piece and were not folded back last time. Place another horizontal piece at the edge of the fold and then unfold the vertical pieces.

Repeat this all the way to the edge and then repeat for the other side. Once the lattice has been made, roll the edges of the lattice into the lip of the bottom crust to make a nice lip all the way around the pie.

Beat the egg and water into a small bowl and brush over the top of the crust. Sprinkle the top liberally with course sugar for a little glistening.

Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown on top. If the edged brown too quickly, cover them with a ring of foil.

When the top is golden, turn off the oven and LEAVE THE PIE IN THE OVEN. Let the pie cool down with the oven to let the mixture set. Once cool, remove from the oven and devour.