It was my birthday yesterday. I love my birthday, and I love having an early June birthday. Everything is wonderful this time of year. It’s the beginning of warmer weather and bunny rabbit sightings, of farmers markets and summer dresses, of furiously licking ice cream cones before they drip down your wrist and faint smells of barbeques in the air, of happier strangers and longer days – to name a few. It’s also the beginning of mosquito bites, but they don’t belong on the “what makes me happy list”.
So, for my birthday dessert, I wanted everything that encompasses the essence of summer in a perfect, buttery pie. I chose Strawberry Rhubarb. I have been inspired, as of late, by Gerry at Foodness Gracious with all of his yummy rhubarb recipes. Since I have never tasted rhubarb before I thought I should give it ago. I am so happy I did! This is such a delicious pie. Really. You have got to try it.
Cold butter dropped onto dry ingredients
Pulse until dough begins to come together while pulling away from sides of food processor
I cut out about 18 strips using a fluted pastry cutter
The strawberry/rhubarb mixture is poured into the pie shell
Then you sprinkle on the buttery crumble
Make a lattice design atop of the crumble
- 2 1/2 cups (354 g) Pastry Flour, or All-Purpose Flour
- 2 TBS (24 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp. (6 g) Salt
- 16 TBS (226 g) Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 6 to 8 TBS Ice Water
- 5 stalks Rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 TBS (55 g) Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup (220 g) Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream
- 2 TBS (30 ml) Bourbon
- 1 TBS (15 ml) Vanilla Bean Paste, or Vanilla Extract
- zest of 1 Lemon
- pinch of Salt
- 1/4 cup (32 g) Cornstarch
- 3 cups Strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 cup (225 g) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup (110 g) Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 tsp. (3 g) Salt
- 2 1/2 cups (3 g) All-Purpose Flour
- Egg Wash (1 Egg whisked with 1 TBS Cream)
- 1 TBS Turbinado Sugar
- In a food processor, whirl the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles small bread crumbs. Pour in cold water and pulse until dough comes together and pulls away from side of the food processor. Take the dough out and divide into two equal-sized pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk shape. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- When ready, take one disk and place on a lightly floured service. Let rest for 15 minutes before rolling out. After the dough has softened a bit, roll it into a 12 inch circle. With a 9 inch pie plate ready, gently lift flattened dough into plate. A bench scraper comes in handy here. Allow the edges to hang over. Cover crust in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the next disk out. When dough has softened enough, roll out into a rough rectangle. With a fluted pastry cutter, or pizza cutter, cut out about 18 strips (each 1/2 inch wide). Gently place strips on a cookie sheet, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate when ready to use.
- In a large sauté pan, sauté the rhubarb in the butter until rhubarb has softened. Add the brown sugar, cream, bourbon, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt, and stir until coated. Sprinkle with the cornstarch and stir until dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and gently fold in the strawberries. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, granulated and brown sugars, salt, and flour. With a spoon or your fingers, work the mixture until the butter has been absorbed and clumps form.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pour strawberry/rhubarb mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle the crumble over the filling in an even layer.
- Weave the dough strips over the filling and crumble, forming a lattice.
- Brush the lattice with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Place pie on a cookie sheet, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling begins to bubble and the crust has browned.
