Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Since our first pie was the envy of all other pies, Robin and I decided to give it another go. She was able to set aside her hatred of strawberry-rhubarb pie (a warranted distaste for it based on having had one bite 6 years ago), so that we could make my favorite pie this time. For my birthday one year, Robin got me one of these amazing pies from House of Pies, which I then ate entirely by myself because college was a wonderful time of high metabolisms. This time, I was determined to ignore my gluttonous tendencies and share it with others (a true test of everything they taught us in Kindergarten).

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Adapted From Food Network
Servings: 1 pie
Time: 150 minutes

Shockingly, Robin thought sugar coated fruit tasted sweet.

1 Crust Recipe
3 cups strawberries, de-stemmed and halved
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp minute tapioca
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp water
Coarse sugar
Vanilla ice cream

Our crust. The top reminds me of Boo from Super Mario World.

This assembles much easier than the lattice.

1. Make the crust dough according to the recipe from the link provided. Helpful hint: roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper for the best results. 
2. Preheat the oven to 425.
3. Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, tapioca, flour, cinnamon, lemon and vanilla together in a large bowl. Mix well to evenly coat.
4. Lay one piece of dough over the pie plate. Add in the filling and dot with butter. Then cover with a second sheet of dough. Make sure you cut holes into the top for ventilation.
5. Brush the crust with your egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar.
6. Collar the ends with aluminum foil to help prevent them from burning then bake for 15 minutes.
7. Lower the temperature to 375 and bake for another 40-50 minutes until the filling starts to bubble.
8. Remove from the oven to cool then serve with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream.

We really need to get proper pie cutting utensils.

Warm strawberry-rhubarb pie cut with some melty vanilla ice cream is a true thing of beauty. That first bite into the gooey deliciousness made all my worries disappear. This pie was absolutely incredible, but could use a few minor improvements. The filling came out a little liquidy (which has since been remedied with a day in the fridge) and had a tiny bit too much lemon. Also, it wasn't quite tart enough, so I would try for a more even ratio of strawberry to rhubarb next time.  One interesting thing I found is that the pie actually seems to have gotten better the second day, probably since the flavors have had some more time to come together.

What a happy looking pie. I almost feel bad eating it. Almost.

Additionally, the crust came out even better than last time, and the parchment paper rolling made it a lot easier to make. In the overall pie war, however, I think the cherry pie (for once) actually wins out as far as flavor goes, but the strawberry-rhubarb is a close second (and would definitely win with the previously mentioned fixes).

I'd say we're just a few pies and a detective agency away from being able to open our own quirky pie diner.

I'm quite happy with our first two attempts at pie. Now that we've conquered fruit pies, I think we can focus our efforts on the strange world of chocolate pies and making the world's tallest meringue (mostly I just want an awesome picture of giant meringue).

Editor's Note: Immediately after posting this, I ate a piece of pie, and it was delightful.

Favorite Dishes: Rhubarb, Apple & Rosemary Turnovers

The name of this dish is probably enough to turn off most people, but I have to say this is one of the best breakfast pastries I've ever had. I've been in love with the super tart rhubarb ever since I discovered strawberry-rhubarb pie in college (Yeah, college is a pretty wild time of experimentation. I even put ice cream on it.). Now anytime I come across a recipe containing it, I become instantly intrigued.

Fun Fact: Rhubarb is used in laxatives in China!

Rhubarb, Apple & Rosemary Turnovers
From Daily Unadventures in Cooking
Servings: 8 turnovers
Time: 80 minutes

1 cup flour
2/3 tsp + 1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold butter, in 1 cm cubes
2 2/3 tbsp + 2 tbsp cold water
2 stalks rhubarb, thinly sliced
1 1/2 apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
2/3 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
Eggwash (Egg and tsp milk)

1. Grab your handy food processor and pulse together the flour, salt and 2/3 tsp of sugar. 
2. Pulse in the butter until pea-sized. Make sure you put the butter in carefully so it doesn't all lump together.
3. While still pulsing, slowly add in the first 2 2/3 tbsp (that 2/3 is just 2 tsp) of water until a dough forms. Press the dough into a disk then wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425.
5. Add the rhubarb, apples, rosemary and the remaining water & sugar to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer then cook covered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the rhubarb is soft, set the mixture aside to cool. You can boil off excess liquid uncovered if necessary.
6. Roll out the pastry dough to the desired thickness (think small) then cut into 4" x 4" squares.
7. Put about 1 tbsp filling into each turnover.
8. Dip your finger in cold water then wet two adjacent sides of the squares. Close the pastry by making a triangle where each wet side closes to a dry one. Gently press with a fork to finish closing.
9. Cut a few slits into the tops of the turnovers to prevent them from puffing up too much then coat with the egg wash and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool because the filling will be hot.

The world's tastiest pinwheel

Everything about these turnovers works. The pasty is crispy and flakey and the filling is perfectly balanced. The apple helps subdue the tartness of the rhubarb, and the rosemary provides a wonderful aroma that doesn't overpower. My only suggestion would be to add more of the filling per turnover to combat any of the puffing that will go on in the oven. I also recommend checking out the website that this recipe came from, http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/, because everything they make looks amazing.