I really have no idea where this particular recipe originated, I’ve been making it, or some form of it for decades. My husband loves strawberry rhubarb pie, so it’s been his birthday “cake” for as long as we’ve been married and I’ve been rolling out pie crusts. It’s a soul-satisfying, old fashioned pie, and when served with vanilla (or almond) ice cream- just tastes of a summer day. I serve it with Shelburne Vineyard Whimsey Meadow Rosé – kind of sweet and tart, just like the pie. By the way, Buzzfeed called this pie, “better than a boyfriend…!”
Almond Crust
Author: Lisa Cassell-Arms
Serves: 2 crusts
Ingredients
- ¼ cup almonds, sliced
- 2¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter, chopped into small pieces
- ¼ - ⅓ cup ice water
Instructions
- To make the crust:
- In a small pan over medium heat, toast the almonds until they are golden and fragrant. Remove from heat. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the flour, salt and continue to pulse until finely ground.
- Add butter to the flour mixture and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. With the processor running, slowly add cold water until the dough just starts to hold together. (you'll want to stop just before it clumps up) Turn the dough onto a clean counter and press together into flattened ball. Divide the ball in half, press into two flat disks and cover each completely in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Almonds
Author: Lisa Cassell-Arms
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 6 cups strawberries, chopped
- 4 cups rhubarb, chopped
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch or tapioca
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 egg, whisked with a tablespoon of water
- 2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small bits
- 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch (or tapioca) and the flour. Stir until well combined and then let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- While the fruit is sitting, roll out the pie crust. On a well floured board or counter, roll out one of the disks of dough until it is about and inch larger than the diameter of the pie plate. Carefully lift the dough into the pie plate and settle the edges into the plate so that the dough is not stretched. Trim the edges to allow for about a one inch overhang. Put the pie crust back in the refrigerator to chill while rolling out the dough for the lattice top.
- Roll the second disk out in the same manner as the first. Using a fluted cutter, or a knife, cut the dough into 10 equal strips.
- Remove the pie crust from the fridge and fill it with the fruit filling. Lay the longest strip across the middle of the pie, then lay the other longest strip across the pie in the opposite direction. Continue to add lattice strips, alternating sides in a basket weave manner, one under and then one over. Tuck the edges under all around the pie and crimp. Paint the crust and lattice with egg wash and dot the pie with butter.
- Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet with raised edges (arguably the most important part of this recipe if you want to avoid the bubbling fruit filling from covering the bottom of your oven like epoxy.) Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 and bake for approximately 45 more minutes. Check the pie at 30 minutes to make sure the crust isn’t getting too brown. If so, cover with a pie collar or foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- While the pie is baking, you can make the crunchy almonds to sprinkle on top. Mix the confectioners sugar and water in a bowl. Toss the almonds in the mixture and spread on a small, parchment lined baking sheet. Bake on the top rack of the oven for about 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned (you can use the same oven the pie is in). When the almonds are golden, remove them and cool.
- When the pie is bubbling and golden, remove from oven and sprinkle with almonds. Let the pie cool completely before serving.
