Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Beautiful, fresh strawberries are starting to flood the stores and markets. Ari and Emilie love strawberries so we have been taking advantage of them coming into season. Sure, the supermarkets sell fresh strawberries year round, but the off season varieties pale in comparison to these.

As I was walking through the supermarket the other day, I was drawn to a mesmerizing crimson patch of produce. My eyes opened wide as I saw some delicious looking rhubarb. Already holding a container of strawberries in my hand, it didn't take me long to realize what I must do. Make a strawberry rhubarb pie. The conditions couldn't have been more perfect.

I know I say this about a lot of pies, but strawberry rhubarb pie really is one of my favorites. The tartness of the rhubarb matched with the sweetness of the strawberries is an irresistible flavor combination. Combine that with a tender, flaky crust, and it is pure pie bliss.


The recipe I used when I made this pie in the past produced mixed results and I found myself modifying it quite a bit. The recipe was quite old, too, and since Alton Brown hasn't given us a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe yet, I decided to look for a new one. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com that looked promising.

When I made the pie, I ended up using Alton Browns pie crust recipe instead of the one in the recipe because it is an exceptional pie crust and I am familiar with making it. I also made a couple modifications to the filling recipe based on the comments from foodnetwork.com. I added four tablespoons of tapioca flour instead of two tablespoons of minute tapioca; and I omitted the lemon zest because of personal preference. Here is how I made the filling and finished the pie:

Printable Recipe

Filling:
2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries (in larger pieces)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Large granule sugar

Filling Preparation:
Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter. Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar. Collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Also, you can use a pie bird for extra decor. Let cool before serving.

One other change I made was a lattice top crust, just because that's how I like my strawberry rhubarb pie.

This was the best strawberry rhubarb pie I have ever had, and this recipe is definitely a keeper. I'm glad strawberry season is just getting started!