Simple Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

These past few months, I have so badly wanted clear the appliances off my tiny kitchen counter and make a delicious summer fruit pie from scratch. From cutting the cold fats into the chilled flour, to shaping the pie dough into a crust, to filling the crust with beautiful fruits from the farmer’s market, macerated with just a hint of sugar – I craved the familiar process and it’s beautiful reward.

Even if I hadn't been short on time, I was short on people willing to consume an entire pie. Mike doesn’t care for fruit desserts, which means I would have the task of finishing the whole pie all by myself. Not that I haven’t had moments in life where I could polish off the entire dessert, but I generally try to avoid such situations.

Fourth of July weekend offered the perfect opportunity for me to bake a pie for a big group of friends. The pint of strawberries and bright pink stalks of rhubarb in my refrigerator, loot from a successful farmer’s market trip, just begged to be tossed with a bit of sugar and flour, then gently poured into a chilled crust and baked to golden perfection.

Simple Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

crust from Dolcetto Confections | Allison M. Veinote

filling adapted from from Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Remolif Shere

Makes 1 9-inch pie

Pie crust: 1 unbaked, chilled pie shell, 1 chilled disc of dough (for the lattice top)

1¼ pounds rhubarb

1 pint basket strawberries

1 cup sugar

2½ tablespoons flour

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons whipping cream (or whole milk)

Coarse sanding sugar, if desired

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Wash the rhubarb, cut off the ends, and slice about 1/3-inch thick. Wash, dry, hull, and chop the strawberries medium-fine. Whisk sugar and flour together in a large mixing bowl, then add sliced rhubarb and chopped strawberries, gently tossing the fruit to ensure a uniform coating of the dry ingredients.

Remove the chilled bottom pie shell from the refrigerator and spoon in the rhubarb-strawberry mixture.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled disc of dough into 12-inch circle. Using a ruler and fluted pastry wheel, cut dough into even strips. Create a lattice top by weaving the strips on top of the filling. Press the crusts lightly together around the edge of the pie pan, then trim any overhang and crimp edges.

Beat the egg yolk and cream with a fork and brush evenly over the top of the pie. Sprinkle a light coating of sanding sugar over the crust.

Bake about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the rhubarb is tender. Allow pie to cool for one hour. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.