Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
The first Strawberry Rhubarb pie of the season is the best! The rhubarb is ready to be harvested by Spring and the strawberries are finally becoming in season after a long winter. The tartness from the rhubarb compliments the sweetness from the strawberries perfectly.
My husband, Marc, requests this pie every year and counts down the days until our rhubarb is ready to be picked. We somehow acquired a rhubarb plant from my grandmother that was her mother’s before that. Anyways, when it comes to this dessert favorite, Marc does not mess around! He gets a pint of vanilla ice cream to serve over his pie topped with whipped cream. In his humble opinion, there is nothing better than a piece of his favorite warm strawberry rhubarb pie with a plop of cold ice cream on top. Seriously though, he is definitely not wrong!
What is rhubarb?
Rhubarb is a vegetable that is often mistaken for a fruit. It sort of resembles celery, as rhubarb is also a long, edible stalk that is typically reddish in color but is actually a part of the buckwheat family. It is pretty tart so it tastes delicious cooked in desserts paired with sweet food items.
How and where can I find rhubarb?
You can typically find rhubarb at your local grocery store or farmer’s market around Spring.
Otherwise, rhubarb is the stalk of a perennial plant, meaning it comes back year after year and lives more than two years. It is super easy to grow in your garden, requiring very little maintenance. It needs to be watered every 7 days or so if it is hot and dry outside. I have had my rhubarb plants for about 10 years now and I rarely have to do anything for them and they still continuously come back each year, providing me with plenty of rhubarb to satisfy Marc’s pie cravings!
How to pick the best stalks for my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:
Rhubarb is best if harvested in early to mid Spring, around early May to June. If you are trying to select the best stalks from your local market, choose the stalks that are firm, thinner, redder in color and free from any blemishes.
If you are picking the rhubarb yourself from your garden or someone else’s, it is best to pick the stalks when they are at least 10 inches long and about 1-2 inches wide. Leave the smallest stalks to grow and mature but I find that the largest stalks on the plant tend to be a bit more tough and bitter, so be sure to select the stalks in between. If your rhubarb plant begins to flower, you should pick the flowering stalks and discard them, as the plant will be less productive when allowed to flower.
After you have chosen the best stalks, pick them off the plants by gently twisting and pulling at the base of the plant. Discard the large leaf at the end of the stalks (they are actually toxic!)
NOTE: If you will not be consuming the rhubarb right away, be sure to store it in the refrigerator to prevent it from wilting. My grandma always wrapped her stalks in a clean, wet paper towel before storing in the fridge to preserve them better. Although I am not entirely sure that this is a proven method, but it sure seemed to work great for her! I always use mine right away so I usually do not have to worry about this step.
How to prepare the rhubarb:
- Wash the stalks with fresh water.
- Using a sharp knife, cut both ends off of the stalks, like you would do with celery.
- Cut the stalks into about 1/4 inch pieces. It is not necessary to peel them, but at times when you are cutting the stalks, they may begin to peel a bit. That is okay. Simply peel any access skin off.
Ingredients needed for this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:
- Rhubarb
- Strawberries
- Eggs (beaten)
- Cane Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Butter (melted)
- 2 pie crusts (rolled out)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash the rhubarb. Cut off both ends of the stalks and discard them. Cut the remaining stalk into 1/4 inch pieces. Set them aside.
Rinse and cut off the tops of the strawberries. Cut the rest of the strawberries in quarters then set them aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the cane sugar, all-purpose flour, three beaten eggs and the melted butter. Beat until completely smooth.
Sprinkle a little flour on your work station. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out your pie crust, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking to the surface and tearing. Once it is rolled to the desired size, place in a 10 inch pie dish.
Add the chopped rhubarb and strawberries to the pie dish. Pour the sugar, flour, egg and butter mixture over the top.
Flour your work station again and roll out the second pie crust. Using a dough roller or a knife, cut the pie crust into about 10-12, 1 inch lattice strips to place over the top of the pie.
Next, carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back some strips as needed to be able to weave the next strip through. Once finished, gently press the edges of the lattice strips to the bottom pie crust. Using a sharp knife, cut off the excess pie crust that is left all around the pie dish.
Use a fork to press down the edges of the pie crust. Do this around the entire pie. Then lightly brush the pie crust with an egg wash, using a pastry brush. To make egg wash, simply beat one egg in a small bowl. You can add milk if you’d like as well, but it is not necessary.
Finally, place your pie in the preheated oven at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow the pie to cool before serving.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it. I would love to hear about it!
Like this dessert recipe? Check out this Carrot Pineapple Cake recipe.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Equipment
- 1 10 inch pie dish
Ingredients
- 3 cups rhubarb chopped
- 1 cup strawberries chopped
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cups cane sugar
- ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus more for pie crust
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 pie crusts rolled out
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash the rhubarb. Cut off both ends of the stalks and discard them. Cut the remaining stalk into 1/4 inch pieces. Rinse and cut the strawberries in quarters. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, eggs and melted butter. Beat until smooth.
- Flour your work station. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out your pie crust, adding flour as needed. When it is rolled to the desired size, place in a 10 inch pie dish. Add the rhubarb and strawberries. Pour the sugar, flour, egg and butter mixture over the top.
- Flour your work station again and roll out the second pie crust. Using a dough roller or a knife, cut the pie crust into about 10-12, 1 inch lattice strips to place over the top of the pie.
- Thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back some strips as needed to be able to weave the next strip through. Once finished, gently press the edges of the lattice strips to the bottom pie crust. Using a knife, cut off the excess dough off edge.
- Use a fork to press down the edges of the pie crust. Do this around the entire pie. Then lightly brush the pie crust with an egg wash, using a pastry brush. To make egg wash, simply beat one egg in a small bowl.
- Bake at 425℉ for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375℉ and bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow the pie to cool before serving.
Notes