"SURPRISE!"
Those eight innocent letters form what may be the most terrifying word in the English language.
I hate surprises. As a planner I really have a hard time with the unexpected. I'm working on it...
There are however, a few surprises which even I can appreciate. This pie was one such wonder.
Rhuberry Pie!!! I'm excited because this pie surprised me. It surprised me after I took the first bite of the first slice and realized it was one of the best pies to ever come out of my kitchen.
As I have stated here before, I am not a huge fruit pie kind of person, I tend to gravitate towards the custard based pies. But, let me tell you that this pie may have just changed my mind. It's that good.
This was my first taste of rhubarb. I do not know why this vegetable waited so long to come into my life, but I am so glad it finally did.
Fresh blackberries and sweet strawberries join the tart rhubarb in this baked symphony. This is a good thing…
Pies are one of my favorite things to bake, there's something sweet and homey about rolling crust and slicing berries that I will never grow tired of.
Maybe not all surprises are terrifying...
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
Rhuberry Pie
recipe adapted from the The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book
for the crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup cold, unsalted butter (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup ice
Sift to combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
Transfer the sifted flour mixture to the work bowl of your food processor. Add cubed butter and pulse several times until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. The mixture should be the texture of rough cornmeal.
Combine water, vinegar, and ice in a small bowl. Add the cold water mixture to the rough dough several tablespoons at a time, pulsing 1-2 times after each addition. Add just enough liquid to bring the dough roughly together. Divide the dough in half and form two discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
for the filling and assembly
- 2 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground arrowroot
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon of water)
- turbinado sugar
In a large bowl combine the rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, granulated and brown sugars, arrowroot, cinnamon and salt. Toss to combine. Stir in whisked egg.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place one disc of chilled dough on a floured surface and roll out into a 12x12 inch circle. Fold the circle in half and lay the crust across one side of a 9-inch glass pie pan, unfold the disc so that the crust covered the pan and gently smooth out the crust. Trim away an excess crust beyond 1 1/2 inches before forming the edge of the crust by folding and pinching. Use a fork to puncture the bottom of the crust several times. Place the crust in the freezer for 10 minutes while you roll out the second disc of dough.
Roll the second disc into a 12x12 circle, just as before. Use a pizza roller or a sharp knife to cut the crust into 1 inch strips.
Remove the rested dough from the freezer and fill with prepared filling. Lay half of the cut strips of crust across the top of the pie and weave the remaining strips back and forth to form a lattice top. Pinch to seal the edges and trim away any excess.
Refrigerate the pie for 10-15 minutes to rest. Brush the pie with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden. Then, reduce heat to 375 and bake for 25-30 minutes longer, until the crust is deep amber and the filling is bubbling.*
Allow the pie to cool 2-3 hours on a wire rack before serving. Enjoy!
*I like to place a baking sheet on the rack under the pie in case any filling happens to bubble over. Lesson learned.