Once upon a time it wasn't raining, and I took these pictures of my strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Later I will take pictures — I will try — of a casserole that you will not believe the goodness of.
But those pictures will not be sun-filled. They will be dark. This is not my fault, not that I would blame anyone or even complain, since I gave up complaining for Lent. I complained the other day about the weather, but it was a solemnity, so that was okay.
I didn't take pictures of how rainy, wet, flooded, and dark it has been, because there was no light for pictures, but I did take this picture of the Chief getting ready to do battle with the two sump-pumps in the basement:
Yes, he is wearing black plastic trash bags inside his wellies. That's how high the water was…which is why we didn't have heat or hot water for three days.
So you can see why I was so excited about making a strawberry-rhubarb pie when the sun came out! Who wouldn't be? Now it's pouring again, so we'll just re-live the pie episode, shall we?
You know, a lot of people are unexcited about pie, and that, Dear Reader, is because they insist on buying their crust pre-made.
Now, that crust you buy is not terrible, but it reveals nothing, nothing of the joys of a really good pie. I don't know how to tell you this so you will believe me, but a home-made crust is not a mere vehicle for the filling. It's a glorious, flaky, buttery, shatteringly toothsome delectability of its very own, well worth mastering. Please don't tell me the store-bought one is okay. You just don't know what you're talking about.
I remember my mother making apple pie, very rarely, when I was a kid. Maybe once a year she would be inspired to do it, often when my German uncle (my aunt had married a man she met on an ocean liner to Europe) was here on business. “I vant a rrrreeellll Amerrrrican apfel pie!” he would demand.
With an admixture of exasperation at his Teutonic presumption and flattered ego at his acknowledgment of her pastry skills, she would pull out her Betty Crocker cookbook and get to work.
However, she had learned from her mother the proper way to make a crust, and that meant that it would not really form a dough. It's true: the more flaky you want your pastry to turn out, the less water you have to use.
This fact will ratchet up your frustration level like nothing else, because by definition the crust will be hard to handle, fall apart, and generally behave as if it will never produce anything worthwhile.
The main failing of most recipes and techniques in this department is that they attempt to offer a workable crust, which is a taste/texture oxymoron. The more workable, the less like a real flaky crust it will be. You must resist the urge towards workability if you wish to succeed.
So there she'd be, up to her elbows in flour, patching up her pastry with one eye on the clock. He'd be there soon, and she was sure that this time, things were wrong. It wasn't going to be good. It wasn't holding together. It was a mess.
And each time, that pie was truly the most heavenly, crackle-y, apple-y, American apple pie you would want to taste. It had just the right amount of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the filling, with the completely gratuitous benediction of the little dots of butter slipped under the crust only after it was all assembled, because she had forgotten about them before putting the top on (and I still do that too; who can remember the butter when she's trying desperately to fuse little shards of dough long enough to transfer from board to dish?).
She herself would take a bite, and, with great satisfaction, say that it was almost as good as her mother's, which I'm quite sure it was and more, although I can't remember ever having had my grandmother's version. There is simply no way it could have been better. Uncle Walter would eat about a full quarter of the pie and opine that it was “Gut, but maybe not your best.”
He only said that to be sure she'd be mad enough to try again next time.
At the very end of summer last year I froze some of the lingering rhubarb, thank goodness. I must say rhubarb is one of my very favorite flavors. It was 4 cups going into the freezer, but less in volume now, so I pretend it's really two cups and proceed.
Always make your strawberry rhubarb pie — or any fruit pie other than apple, which simply must be made with flour — with tapioca. It will be so much better that way. Use the recipe from the box (I cut it off and stuck it in with the new tapioca, as they didn't have the box kind at the store. I like this re-sealable container but I need my recipe). A pie thickened with tapioca has to have a top crust, but that's okay, since the crust is so good.
The filling has to sit for 15 minutes, which gives you time to roll out and patch up your bottom crust.
Pour the filling in, cut off the edges of the extra pastry, crimp the two crusts together very well, brush the top with cream, and sprinkle sugar (raw if you have it — the large crystals are delightful) over all.
Place the whole thing on a pizza pan so that the juices don't get all over your oven floor.
Roll out the extra dough — you will have enough for one quite undersized crust, which can be popped in the freezer, well wrapped in tin foil, for another day.
It would make the perfect crust for an impromptu appetizer like Spinach, Mushroom, and Blue Cheese Tart.
Or, you could sprinkle the bits with cinnamon sugar, as my mother used to, and eat them as a treat, burning hot from the oven, while you wait for the pie to cook. She'd say, “Well, I must admit it does taste good, even if it doesn't look right.” Oh yes.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Like Mother, Like Daughter
Two batches of pie crust, which I have adapted from the Gourmet Pate Brisee recipe to use three parts butter and one part lard. (If you want me to, at some point I will give you a proper tutorial on pie-crust making, but you probably know how to do it already. I like this one for the proportions, which give you a fair amount left over. The Betty Crocker one is foundational, of course.)
The recipe from the tapioca box, which is not to be improved upon:
2 cups rhubarb
2 cups strawberries (whole frozen ones are fine)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup tapioca
Mix and let stand for 15 minutes while you roll out the crust. Use plenty of flour, don't worry if you have to patch it up, just do so with a good conscience that you are sealing the tears well.
Crimp, brush with cream, sprinkle with sugar, and place on a pizza pan.
Bake at 375° for 1/2 hour (up to 400° if you have a conventional oven), then at 350* for another 1/2 hour or until the pie is bubbly and browned. Your pie can stand any amount of baking because the crust has no sugar in it. If the edges seem like they are in danger of burning, cover them with foil, but really, you should be okay if you turn the oven down half-way through.
Let cool completely. Store in the fridge if not serving that day or the crust will get soggy. Properly chilled it will stay delish for a week.
scmom (Barbara) says
Oooh, Leila, And you kept it all to yourself? 😉 Strawberry Rhubarb is my husband's favorite. Can't wait to see rhubarb at the market.
Leslie says
Any advice for those of us who do not have rhubarb in our freezer? Just wait, you say?? Any other suggestions??
Mominapocket says
You have inspired me to try and make my own pie crust. What I like about your attitude towards homemaking, baking etc.. is that it does not have to be perfect. Just go to it and do it!
LJtravelsTHEworld says
Mrs. Lawler,Yes! I would love a tutorial someday on pie crust making. No, I do not know how to do it. Also, anyone who is not a homemaker of at least 10 years probably also doesn´t know how to do it. Please, for the sake of the salvation of humanity (not an exageration), map this out in excruciating detail at your earliest convenience.Sincerely,LFS/LJtravelsTHEworldPs. The above please-explain-step-by-step request goes for any and all recipies. No detail is too obvious for those of us just learning how to cook!
Pippajo says
Oh, the joys of pie! We are quite mad for pie over here yet the only time I make it seems to be Thanksgiving and Christmas. That must be rectified! I think the problem is I'm still tied too closely to the recipe. Once I've got it memorized and can make it with ease, I bet I'll have a pie cooling on the windowsill every Saturday morning (okay, maybe I'm getting carried away)!I discovered the joys of pie-crust-from-scratch this year. I drove everyone nuts over it. I used Julia Child's recipe and decided I would never go back to the store-bought kind. I'll have to try your recipe, though. It intrigues me!
Leila says
Barbara– I brought it to Virginia and consumed it with my offspring and hubby after sundown on Saturday ;)Leslie — here they do sell frozen rhubarb that is fine — do you have that where you are? I find that strawberries and rhubarb are two things that freeze well for pie/jam-making purposes.Mominapocket — by all means! Just try! What can go wrong other than floury elbows??LJ — okay, I'll work on it ;)Pippajo- Julia's recipe is okay except that (as she admits in Volume II), it's not right that "il faut mettre la main a la pate" — not for AMERICAN pie.Also, I have experimented with many combos of butter/lard/Crisco/margarine and I'm here to tell you that all butter just won't yield the right kind of flakiness. The dough will be tasty but too crisp. Just try subbing a little lard for her butter and I'm sure it will work out fine.
Jeanine says
I almost always make my own crust, but Trader Joes has a great frozen one that I keep to use for last minute meals (quiche) or pie for unexpected company. It is really good!
Rosie says
Just to add to the plug for homemade pie crust…I once messed up while rolling out a crust, to the point where I decided I just had to gather it all up and start again (I don't remember at this point what could possibly have gone so horribly wrong). I was convinced I had overworked the dough, it would be inedible, I should probably just give up, etc. But I just forged ahead and figured imperfect homemade pie was better than no homemade pie at all. (for the record, I think this is a valid premise). It was delicious – one of the best pies I've ever made.Moral of the story: it doesn't have to be perfect – it will still be tasty!
Aleta says
Thank you Uncle Walter.Don't tell Aunt Jean I told you this but she is having difficulty in the cooking dept. lately. You just have to stand up too long, but the last strawberry-rhubarb pie she made was to die for!! Must be a family trait. We however are having trouble growing the rhubarb…I hope it takes off one of these years, cuz its my favorite, too.Aleta
Christine says
Ooh, my parents grew rhubarb in our backyard. My mom used to serve rhubarbs and strawberries (usually without pie). I will have to try your recipe though. Thank you for sharing!
Anonymous says
Here's another vote for homemade pie crust. I've had many, many people taste my homemade crust and say it's delicious, and then proceed to whine that they are afraid to try to make homemade crust. I just say thank you and then encourage them to try. You are right-homemade is just better. And as for the extra dough–my grandfather used to bake the pies in his family and he would roll out the extra and slather it with butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Then he would roll it up and call it "piggies." Bake it until golden brown. After it cooled, he would slice it and serve it to eager eaters. Delicious!
Anonymous says
I was in a hurry and forgot to leave my name.Mom in MO
Livin' in the S says
Homemade pie crust is so much better than the store bought kind and we try to make it whenever possible. Your Strawberry Rhubarb Pie looks wonderful!!! Makes me want a slice!:)
Leila says
Jeanine, I hear you. Sometimes you just get stuck. But for me, TJ's is so far away I could make twenty pies in the time it takes to get there!That's because I live in a vastly over-regulated state that won't allow stores more than three liquor licenses…stupid.Rosie — ha ha, you are after my own heart :)Aleta — Yes, ahem. God rest his soul. I would like to taste that pie, hint hint! You need to invite us up to NH soon, not hinting any more! As I said before, I think there is a storehouse of "doing" and "making" in our family. It's so great to think of Aunt Jean baking a pie at her age, and having it be "to die for"! Just think of all the things they know, these women…Is your rhubarb in a wet place? Mine is and it has fits and starts. Even so, it does pretty well, but it doesn't like to be wet. However, my whole yard is wet.Christine — Rhubarb is one of the things that keeps us Yanks going…there is nothing else out there in the spring, and up it comes (except, apparently, for Aleta, but I know she can fix that). I love it with or without pie, although of course, with is a dream…Mom in MO — those are the best memories…and I'm fine with anon. comments that affirm my every word 😉 Actually, I'm glad you signed precisely because it helps me keep all you anon.s straight. MWAH.Vanessa and Emily– I'm glad you think so! I would give you a slice…but it's in Virginia 🙂
Betsy says
I remember trying as a teenager to get a perfect pie crust. I kept making pies and then sending slices down the road for my Grandpa to test. I was never as ecstatic as when he called and said that I had it down perfect. I wonder now if he was just getting full up on pie.:) Sadly I have lost practice a bit over the years and now am trying to make a good GF crust – boy do I need to get to practicing. Thanks for the advice on the tapioca needing a top crust – do you know the reasoning behind that? I was going to experiment with a pie tomorrow and leave the top off but now will know better.
Sharon says
Oh, I really, really want not only the crust recipe but a tutorial too! Please! I've never been taught how to properly make a crust.I do have my mother-in-law's pie crust recipe and have used it several times. It always comes out well. It was from a little (I think Clabber Girl) recipe book that her mother had used. It calls for hot water so you don't have to work the butter in. It comes out better than frozen, but is it right?
Leila says
Betsy, I found this explanation (here: <a href="http://sonic.net/~alden/ThickenStarch.html):http://sonic.net/~alden/ThickenStarch.html):<br /> tapioca starch = tapioca flour = cassava flour = yucca starch = almidon de yuca Notes: Tapioca is a good choice for thickening pie fillings, since it thickens at a lower temperature than cornstarch, remains stable when frozen, and imparts a glossy sheen. Many pie recipes call for instant tapioca instead of tapioca starch, but instant tapioca doesn't dissolve completely and leaves small gelatinous blobs suspended in the liquid. This isn't a problem in a two-crust pies, but the blobs are more noticeable in single-crust pies. Tapioca starch is finely ground so that it dissolves completely, eliminating the gelatinous blob problem. The starch is also sometimes used to thicken soups, stews, and sauces, but the glossy finish looks a bit unnatural in these kinds of dishes. It works quickly, though, so it's a good choice if you want to correct a sauce just before serving it. Some recipes for baked goods also call for tapioca flour because it imparts a chewier texture. Substitutes: instant tapioca (Also good for thickening pie fillings. If you like, pulverize the beads in a blender before using.) OR Instant ClearJel® OR sweet rice flour (also remains stable when frozen) OR cornstarch (doesn't dissolve as easily, separates if frozen) OR arrowroot (separates if frozen) OR potato starch (separates if frozen) OR rice starch (separates if frozen) OR instant flour (use twice as much; sauce will be opaque, not clear; separates if frozen)
Sue says
Oh, your pie almost made me cry! My Grandma always made strawberry rhubarb pie (and jam) when we stayed at my grandparents' house in Cincinnati for a few weeks every summer. It has now been more than twenty years since I've had one. My mom was not as much of a "from scratch" lady, and often used the frozen kind. I had to teach myself how to do homemade after getting married, since I can't buy the frozen ones here in Japan (a fact for which I am now thankful!). I have always had a hard time getting a flaky crust, until I recently discovered that cutting in the butter thoroughly makes a big difference (i.e., following the recipe and making sure the pieces really are pea sized instead of giving up too soon and going ahead with adding the water). Now I can't wait to make a pie. I will whisper "hard to handle" to myself as I add the water!
Maia says
I will not, most likely, be able to find rhubarb over here in Korea, but am bookmarking this post for when I return to the States next year. Oh, how I love the part about your mother forgetting the butter…which I have been doing since my mother wrapped an apron on me and told me to bake.
Robin says
Yum, pie. Our rhubarb is just starting to break through the surface of the ground!Anyway, as I still try to perfect my pie crust, I wanted to pass on two tips that have worked so far.One, my grandma always filled a measuring cup with water and put it in the freezer first, before anything else, so that it would be thoroughly chilled, so as not to melt the fat in the crust when working it. Two, I read that a little acid (I use lemon juice, you could use vinegar) in the water helps keep the gluten in the flour from developing. Developed gluten = chewy bread. Undeveloped gluten = flaky crust. I use about 1 tablespoon for every 2 tablespoons of water. Warning: this also makes the raw dough really, really good to snack on.What is the casserole??? I need some inspiration! Though I guess boring meals are good for my family in Lent.
Anne R Triolo says
your pie is beautiful!Last summer (our first in this house) I found that our yard has a HUGE blackberry patch which had unfortunately overtaken the rubarb to such an extent that while I could see a lovely patch of it I could NOT touch a single piece. Last fall my husband trimmed back the blackberries, so now I'm excited to see how my rubarb will do!I'm really into hommade baked things, but I still like my store bought crust…and I frequently don't like other people's hommade crusts. I don't remember if I like yours, Leila. I think you'll have to remind me. 🙂
Mona says
How good it is to have someone like you to dispense bits of your hardwon wisdom! I love homemade pie crust, but have noticed that the best crust is always the hardest to handle (read: lots of patching). I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem; now I can just live with it.
Jill. f. says
Oh my goodness, Leila, you are a wonderful writer(and apparently a great cook as well)!I have to admit that I have conquered almost every area of baking except the pie crust…primariy because I don't like the mess. You, however, have inspired me. I may even make one today to take to my homeschool potluck.Years ago I had my one and only experience of viewing the Martha Stewart show and I saw how SHE dealt with a crumbly pie crust. She piled the filling very high and patched the crust up and over the filling and said very grandly, "This is a COTTAGE pie!" Well, I have borrowed that term for every "failed" effort I have attempted in baking ie., "This is a COTTAGE cake!"….works for me :).Thinking of you in the wee hours in the blustery (but not rainy!!??) Pacific Northwest
Carrien says
Just one piece of advice for making flaky pie crust easier to work with.Roll it out on parchment paper. Then you can just lift the paper and flip it into the pie dish. Once I discovered that trick I rarely ever had to patch dough together anymore. It makes pie making a little less time consuming, which is a good thing. 🙂
Ann Kroeker says
Okay, okay…I feel the need to defend my use of the Pillsbury crust mentioned in my quiche recipe.I had them. I decided to use them. Frugality, etc.But I also need to get the crust thing down. I used to homemade crusts all the time, but lost my touch (and the original recipe) somewhere along the way. I remember it was a stick-and-a-half of butter. Really cold water. Don't remember the measurements of flour and salt. Must try again.And your recipe sure does tempt me to do so soon.
Ann Kroeker says
I used to *make* homemade crusts….
Leila says
Sue and Maia, may rhubarb come your way!Robin, I think my casserole doesn't help your Lenten problem. So sorry!Annie, I will remind you! Mona and Jill — yes, cottage pie! We must embrace the imperfection paradox.Also, a bench scraper really helps with the mess. Somehow being able to scrape everything up makes it all possible.Carrien, I've never cottoned to parchment paper, I have to admit. Someday I'll show you all my way, it's not so bad!Ann, I mean, you do what you can. Don't feel you have to justify it to me! I make the crust because my crust has to fulfill a taste "memory" formed by a lifetime of reading books about meat pies, apple pies, chicken pies — like Wind in the Willows, you know the kind I mean.I'm probably just more gluttonous than you!
Mrs. Pickles says
Oh, thank you thank you for the encouragement! I have made pie crust exactly twice in my life, and nearly dissolved into tears both times from utter frustration at the unmanageability of the dough. I was so worked up over my failure as a domestic goddess that I couldn't appreciate how it tasted — even though both pies disappeared in a matter of minutes. But now I'm so glad to know the crust is *supposed* to behave like that! I see a lot of pies in our future, as soon as the local farmer's market opens up again…