Fresh Rhubarb Pie

It's so good to know that my cries for rhubarb did not go unheard! If you are fortunate enough to live in a state where rhubarb grows like weeds all over the place, you cannot understand my desperation. I lived in upstate NY until I was 10, and rhubarb grew in our garden every year. I picked it and ate it raw. Then I moved to South Carolina, and fresh rhubarb was impossible to get. The only time I was able to get my hands on some was when I or a family member would drive up to NY to visit family and bring some back to enjoy. Even now, I live in Oklahoma. I'm too far away from NY to drive for a visit and it's still too hot here for rhubarb to grow. I had given up all hopes of getting my hands on fresh rhubarb this summer.

Thankfully, I have a friend who spends her summers with her family in Alaska. She and her family flew back in this past week and what do you think she brought me? RHUBARB! A lot of rhubarb! And what do you think I did with it? As you can see, I baked pies!

And to celebrate, you're getting 2 recipes for the price of one: Rhubarb Pie and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. If you are a die-hard rhubarb lover like myself, straight rhubarb pie is the only way to go. It is tart and tangy and just how I like it! But I should warn you - my sour sensors are not as sensitive as others' are. What I think is pleasantly tart has The Honey sucking his face because it's got a lot of kick. It might have something to do with all that rhubarb I ate out of the garden when I was little...

But if you're on a the timid side when it comes to tart or have never had rhubarb before, I recommend the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. And since it is probably the more popular pie, we'll make this one first. And now to the recipes, courtesy of my Aunt Esther.


Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2 pie crusts
2 cups fresh diced strawberries
3 cups fresh diced rhubarb
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

In a medium or large bowl, combine rhubarb and strawberries.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt and add to strawberries and rhubarb. Mix well.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with one crust. Pour filling mixture into pie crust.

See now, wasn't that easy?? Now to make the lattice top for this pie. Roll out the second crust. Cut into about 11 or 12 strips using a pizza cutter. If you've made your own crust like I do, then you won't be able to use the end strips so make sure you don't count those as one of the the 12.

Next, lay out six of the strips over the top of the pie. Be sure to use the longer strips for the middle and the shorter strips towards the edges. Then take one of the shorter strips and weave it in and out of the strips on top of the pie like you are weaving a basket.
To weave in the next strip, carefully fold back the strips that need to be on top of that strip of pie crust. Place the next strip down beside the first, and lay the cross-ways strips back down flat.
Repeat until the pie lattice is finished, and trim the excess crust off the edges.
Flute the edges of the pie. (For instructions, check out my pie crust tutorial.)

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake pie at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 50-55 minutes. Remove and let cool.

And now for the rhubarb pie. I'll spare you all the pictures since they are about the same, only not as red.

Rhubarb Pie

4 c. rhubarb, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind (optional)
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 3/4 c. sugar

In a medium or large mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, egg, lemon juice, and lemon rind. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Turn into prepared pie crust and prepare lattice crust as shown above. Bake on a covered cookie sheet at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional 50-55 minutes.