Yesterday we decided to visit Andrews’ Scenic Acres, a pick-your-own fruit and vegetable farm in Halton Hills/Milton. The early spring arrivers are rhubarb and asparagus so we couldn’t miss the opportunity to pick up some from the farm. Even though rhubarb is considered to be a vegetable, it is mostly used in pies and desserts. But remember that ONLY the stalks are used as the leaves and roots contain poisonous substances. A tip I just learned from the local farmers is that rhubarb is not cut out but rather pulled out from the crown in order to keep the plant healthy. You have to pull slowly but firmly while twisting the stalk at the base. Also, harvest only a few stalks from any one plant so that you do not kill the plant. Now let’s get back to our delicious rhubarb & strawberry pie…
Time: 75 min, Prep: 30 min. Cook: 45 min
Servings: 10-12
Ingredients:
- 400 g fresh rhubarb stalks
- 700 g strawberries
- 200 g sugar
- 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 beaten egg yolk to glaze
- 1 Tbsp sugar to sprinkle on top
- 500 g pastry – you can also make the pie pastry at home by following the step-by-step recipe I posted under How to Make Pie Crust
Directions:
Picking rhubarb at the farm.
Don’t forget to cut off the leaves. They are toxic!
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Cut rhubarb and strawberries into small pieces.
Add sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Toss to combine and set aside.
Line the bottom and sides of a 23-cm or 9-inch pie dish using half of the pastry. Pour the filling into the pie crust and dot with butter.
I made a lattice top, an easier version of lattice (no weaving required) compared to the one I made for my Peach Pie. To make this you need to dust your work surface with flour and roll out the remaining pastry so that it’s 1.3 times the size of your pie dish. Cut strips of pastry, approximately 1.5 cm wide, using a sharp knife. Make the lattice top by placing strips on the pie in one direction and then laying a second set over but perpendicular to the first set.
Press the edges to seal and trim off the excess pastry. Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 45 minutes until the crust is brown.
Enjoy!
