Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is a dessert that floats in on the breeze of spring. Sweet and tart with a flakey crust that begs to be eaten on a warm front porch. Since it's that rare time where strawberry AND rhubarb season overlap it seemed like a good time to pull out this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe.
There are about 2 weeks in the year that rhubarb season and strawberry season collide. Rhubarb is just on its way out (you're supposed to stop picking rhubarb in June so it can replenish its strength for next year) and strawberries are just on their way in.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb pie is the kind of old timey, classic dessert that I love for two reasons. One of them I've already told you. It's old timey. Floral apron, cooling on an open windowsill, old timey. The second reason is ... and I'll need you to sit down for this ... I don't very much like sweet things. Desserts actually. That explains why, if given the choice, I'll always go Lemon Tart over Chocolate Caramel. I'll also go Strawberry Rhubarb over sickeningly sweet Pecan Pie. Every. Single. Time.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Firstly you have to decide if you have what's known in the baking world as "pastry fingers". Pastry fingers can be found on the ends of the hands belonging to someone who has a feel for pastry. I do not. I have a feel for power tools. And french fries. And pizza dough. So I used a food processor to do my pastry dough. Works like a charm. Don't know if you have "pastry fingers"? Trust me. Kind of like blobs of back fat, if you had them, you'd know.
If you do not have pastry fingers, use a food processor to make your pie dough. It works great. Just don't overwork the dough in it.
Once your dough is made and chilling in the fridge, go out and pick some rhubarb. Because you're old timey. Don't have a rhubarb patch? I hear you can also buy it. So go do that instead.
4 or 5 stalks should do it.
Cut the rhubarb into 1 inch lengths.
Hull the strawberries, then half or quarter them depending on the size. You might notice in the background the jars and jars of homemade strawberry jam. I used the leftover strawberries to make the pie. It's smart to buy extras of something delicious like strawberries. It's not smart to buy extras of something not delicious like rancid meat. Or sour milk. Because you won't eat them on account of their grossness. Just a little helpful tip.
Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix 'er up. (don't include the egg yolk and water ... that's just for glazing the pastry).
Once your ingredients are mixed, grab your most favourite pastry board. Mine is an old marble tabletop. Roll out your dough on your most favourite pastry board. I used to have a favourite pastry board. Now I have a pastry counter and a butcher block counter. You can see my *new* kitchen here.
TIP:
Pastry likes to be COLD so marble and other natural stones are the best materials for working on pastry.
Pasta dough likes to be WARM so wood is the best material for working pasta dough.
Line your pie plate with the dough and then pour in your filling.
Add the pastry top, pinch the dough together, brush with glaze. You may notice the curious look of the top of my pie. It's a disaster. Note to readers: Do not attempt to roll out/make pastry when it is 172° outside with a humidity level of 117%. It does funny things to pastry.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400°. Then, reduce heat to 350° and bake for another hour. Cover the crust with tinfoil if it starts to brown too much.
And there you have a delicious, delicious Strawberry Rhubarb pie. That you can't eat until tomorrow.
The filling needs that time to properly setup. But once it DOES ... it tastes like a super-healthy Pop Tart.
Now, if you haven't heard, there are apparently only 4 true pies in existence. This was according to my ex-boyfriend's father. He believed this to be true with such ferocity that I once saw him turn his face completely inside out when someone offered him a piece of questionable pie in a restaurant. It was lemon meringue. Not a true pie. I know. With all due respect to him, since he died a few years ago I'm still going to have to call him a Weirdo.
He would appreciate that.
I would like at this moment, to challenge that list.
Yeah. That's right. You heard me. I am, right now, without warning or approval, declaring Strawberry Rhubarb Pie to be a true pie.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
For crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ cup shortening or lard
- ¾ cup ice water
For filling
- 3 ½ cups ½-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb 1 ½ pounds untrimmed
- 1 16- ounce container strawberries hulled, halved (about 3 ½ cups)
- ½ cup packed golden brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water for glaze
Instructions
Make crust:
- Mix flour and salt together.
- Cut the butter into medium sized cubes.
- Cut the butter into the flour using two knives or a pastry blender.
- Stop blending when the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea sized lumps in it.
- Add ½ cup of the cold water to mixture and work in. Add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to form a ball.
- Divide the dough in half, form into discs and wrap each in plastic or put them in an airtight bowl to firm up in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
Make filling:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.
- Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.
- Trim excess dough, leaving ¾-inch overhang.
- Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round.
- Transfer filling into crust. Place the second crust on top of the pie and crimp the edges.
- Cute vent holes in the top with a knife or pierce with a fork.
- Brush egg wash over the crust.
- Transfer the pie to a baking sheet (because this pie is going to bubble as it cooks and make a bit of a mess).
- Bake 20 minutes at 400°F. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake another 1 hour until the pie is gold and the filling has thickened.
- Cool on a rack.
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Maria
What you didn’t mention is where you got those gorgeous strawberries. Deep red all the way through! It’s rare to find those events farmers market here. I got strawberries but never a quantity to make anything useful.
I hope you baked that pie with a baking sheet under it said your oven. :-)
Yvonne
Please clarify all of the orange juice/zest references. Is it mentioned in a comment or a reply? Thanks.
Karen
The dough recipe I used to have with this pie was a dough recipe from an old family friend that included orange juice. I have since removed that dough recipe for one of my favourites (using half lard and half butter). So the comments re: orange juice are from a long time ago when the post had an orange juice ingredient in the dough.~ karen!
Teresa
Awesome pie! Thank you for the recipe!
Karen
Yours looks much better than mine. Glad you liked it. ~ karen!
Bettina
I was sitting here, musing on when I'd ever make my first pie. I am not a sweets lover either, hence the neglect of this particularly item of baked goods. And along comes this recipe and I am now staring at the oven, waiting for the result. Am a little worried about the pie crust as I used wholemeal flour, but so far so good. One thing though - followed the instructions, only to find I had my ball of dough but not used the shortening. I then tried to incorporate, but it was a little lumpy. Think I made it work, but I assume shortening should have been added at same time as butter? As I said, not much of a baker.
Wish me luck, it's for a dinner party, nothing like using your friends as guinea pigs haha!
Marilyn
Pie pie pie. I love pie any kind except raisin ! Amazing !!
sheryl powell
The most incredible pie is BLACKBERRY rhubarb pie.
Lynn Johanson
I use my grandmothers strawberry rhubarb pie recipe. There is very little difference between yours and hers except tapioca is used for thickener and orange zest. Adding orange zest is her special ingredient. It adds a special something that isn't identifiable but really adds to the taste.
Let me know if you try it and what you think. Thanks
Karen
Orange zest (or lemon zest) makes everything better. The end. ~ karen!
Ev Wilcox
Though I agree w you about desserts, and I get the "true pies", there are three so-called foods I cannot abide. Strawberries, rhubarb, and coconut. This is prob the only recipe of yours that will not go in my gigantic recipe file, ever! As to "pastry fingers" it took actual years for mine to develop-thought I'd never get there! But do enjoy the fruits of your garden. Some body has to eat that stuff!
Suzanne
Well I must be going quite batty - I can't see any reference to O.J. in the crust. And what is this about guns? Great looking pie though.
Laurie
I made this pie last weekend! My Dad loves pie, and I saw that the Ontario strawberries were finally out. I was sure you had posted a recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie in the past, and voila, there it was. Crust, delicious, filling delicious! My normal recipe does not call for cinnamon or nutmeg, but I trusted you, and it worked. This will be my go to SR pie recipe, it was great!
Shawna
LOVE Rhubarb pie and can't wait to try the OJ in the crust. Clever, clever! Thanks for the tip!
Which reminds me...I confess, I cheat...I lay down a piece of wax paper over my most favorite pastry board when I roll out the dough and then when I lift it up...Voila!...it does not fall part in my hands!
Do you cut your own hair? I cut mine and it also looks like that in the back ;) Maybe that says something about do it yourself people???
Karen
Oh God no, lol. I'll do a lot of things myself but I wholeheartedly believe people who walk around with disgusting, dirty fingernails all the time from gardening should really invest in good haircuts. There has to be something that shows you do in fact know how to clean yourself up, lol. I was just really hot and sweaty and in need of a trim. ~ karen!
Shawna
Ha ha ha... I invested in a good (vintage 1900) manicure tool set with the money I saved from trimming my own hair!
Mary W
I keep reading the recipe and your words and nowhere do I see orange juice. What are the commenters talking about? I use it with the zest in sweet potato pie and love it. I tried buying rhubarb in the big city of Gainesville FL at a chain store that normally has everything and they said they get a couple packages every once in a while but not this year so far. I'm thinking frozen rhubarb - have you ever had it and will the pie be all runny IF I find it frozen? Love the curious pie top - I bet I can copy that one for sure.
sarajane
Mary,
I freeze my garden rhubarb all cut up for pies all of the time. If you defrost it, it will be runny, but if you chuck it into your pie shell still frozen and are sure to add the cornstarch, you should be good.
Rhubarb crisp is the "one true dessert" according to my Midwestern husband and his brothers. (Hence the frozen rhubarb for when they visit).
Cath
Firstly, back fat here and questionable pastry fingers. My dear husband loves all my pies but he’s not all that discerning.
We planted 2 healthy... and still growing... Terra Garden Centre rhubarbs. Worth the extra cost. This is after I paid for Lococos’ limp $3.99 per lb. rhubarb. Whaaa? $3.99 for something I can plant and basically ignore year after year?
Strawberry rhubarb pie HAS to be made each spring in my house. We make/eat until we are sick of , or close to being, sick of it.
Happy Summer, BTW🌺🍓🌺
Pamela Hancock
Is that 1/2 cup of butter which is 1 stick or 2 sticks of butter?
Mary W
My same question. I buy butter that comes in 4 long sticks to a pound box. I stick equals 1/2 cup. I just couldn't figure out what the typo was so maybe in Canada they have pound boxes with 8 sticks - I've seen them a couple times in our stores.
Rose
My question as well. And I didn't see the shortening/lard in the instructions. Is it 2 sticks of butter AND 1/2 c. shortening or is the fat supposed to be half and half?
Karen
Sorry! That was a typo. 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup lard or shortening. (total of 1 cup for fats) ~ karen!
Jenny W
Years ago, I read your post on True Pies, and scoffed!
I rightly challenged that list in the comment section. It was first time I ever commented on ANY blog, so strong was my outrage.
Thank you for finally amending that list to include Strawberry Rhubarb :)
p.s. I am now on the hunt for a second hand, marble top side table, so I can tear it apart. Perhaps if I had such a curvy beauty for a cutting/pastry board, my pies would be instagram worthy ;)
Lynn Johanson
If you have a company that cuts stone for counter tops around, you can get the cutouts from stove tops or sinks for a nominal fee or free. The other place to look is at a building salvage store. Good luck.
Jenny W
I never thought of that! Thanks Lynn :)
Anna
The pie is awesome , no doubt on that . But I have noticed your small wall scone lamp . Very neat . Where did you get it , Karen?
Lisa
Plain rhubarb, double crust.
Sometimes the freshly picked blueberries are good, but early
summer strawberries are too sweet. You need more sweet, add vanilla ice cream.
Locololo
What could be substituted for the crisco? The pictures made my mouth all watery and by the time I really took a moment to read the actual ingredient list I was all drooling like a dental patient...and them BAM! Crisco. :( We eat traditionally in my house. (refined/processed/artificial are big NO NOs) and now I have a shirt front crusty with drool and no pie. NO PIE! Unacceptable.
Karen
Locololo - You can use anything to make the crust. Lard makes a delicious crust and you can't get any more traditional than that. If you have a favourite pie crust recipe, just sub that in. Or ... sub the lard for the vegetable shortening. ~ karen!
Vicki V
Okay, the pie looks great but what really caught my eye was your sinewy arms! People with arms like yours probably don't eat pie!
Karen
Vicki V - LOL. Oh YES they do. They just also build chicken coops. It's astonishing what hammering for 3 months straight will do. ;) ~ karen
sheri
Not to diminish the pie, but the pictures are stunning.