The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I do not take a pie challenge lightly.

My friend had a BBQ and announced that her boyfriend would be making pie from scratch. I would normally think this laughable, but the last time I questioned his baking abilities he ended up making a painted, shingled, and stained-glass windowed gingerbread house from scratch, M&Ms and white picket fence included.

So when I thought he was making pie, I thought I’d add my own gluten-free pie to the BBQ desserts so I could actually partake. Except then he backed out of the pie making completely and I suddenly mine was the only pie getting made. Gluten-free for all. Fortunately for all flaky pastry lovers, the original recipe is not gluten-free and I give that below as well.

For all those gluten-free pie lovers, know that this will not have a beautiful top crust. It will probably fall apart on you and be dense and chewy, but in a pleasant way if you like dense and chewy things. When my top crust started falling apart I decided to cut it into triangles and decorate artistically (aka make it look like I didn’t do anything wrong), and the party guests were none the wiser…The bottom crust was perfect, though, so consider baking this without a top or in strips if you can keep those from falling apart. And the filling is that ideal sweet and sour taste that comes from non-watery (*cough* Ontario *cough*) strawberries and the deepest red, firmest, juiciest rhubarb you can find left to macerate in sugar with the berries while you make the dough.

The Best Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I know this is the best because it’s a variation on a recipe for “Straight-Up Rhubarb Pie” from The Essential New York Times Cookbook edited by Amanda Hesser, for which she tested the recipes time and time again, pardon the pun. My adaptation doesn’t necessarily improve on the recipe, but a little Quebec strawberry sweetness makes it just a little more seasonally friendly. Besides, rhubarb isn’t a fruit, and it’s a bit strange to make a vegetable pie without sweet potato. Hmm…rhubarb-sweet potato pie. Would it work?

Filling ingredients for all!
4 cups sliced rhubarb (about 1/4″ slices for a total of about 1 – 1 1/2 lbs). Peel off the stringy bits with a sharp knife and your hands if the rhubarb is fibrous, and DON’T use the leaves. They’re toxic.
2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries (about 1 lb)
1 -1 1/4 cups sugar (depending on your preferred level of tartness)
5 tbsp flour or tapioca starch
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Regular Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2/3 cup vegetable shortening (or butter. But I do not argue with Hesser unless it’s about gluten)
5-6 tbsp ice water

Gluten-free Crust
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup white rice flour (I debated using chickpea flour but that nutty taste is better with apples than rhubarb and strawberries, I figured)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2/3 cups plus 2 tbsp vegetable shortening or Earth Balance

First chop the rhubarb and strawberries and place in a bowl with the 1 – 1 1/2 cups sugar. Mix gently and let macerate. What a great word.

Make the crust (either one) by sieving the flour(s) with the salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening or butter or earth balance with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (I’m a believer in having the shortening at room temperature, but there are those who swear by taking it straight out of the fridge).

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Add 2 tbsp of ice cold water and mix with the fork. Add 1 more tablespoon water and mix. Repeat until dough begins to come together. Then press it into a ball and tear it in two. If it crumbles you need to add another 2 tsp of water. Mix. Repeat test as necessary until the ball doesn’t crumble.

Make two balls of dough (one larger than the other) and lay down a large square of plastic wrap (about 2″ in diameter larger than your 9″ pie plate, so 11″ x 11″ approximately, or larger). Place large dough ball on top and flour rolling pin. Roll from the middle of the ball out to the edges, turning the plastic wrap as you go to spread the dough evenly. When the dough is an inch larger than the pie plate, stop, and congratulate yourself. Place the pie plate upside down over the dough and slide a cutting board or a plate under the plastic wrap. Flip the pie plate over so it’s right-side-up and the cutting board is on top. Remove board. Remove plastic wrap. Congratulate yourself again, and breathe out. Replace plastic wrap on counter to use for top crust in a few minutes. Add trimmed top crust pieces to remaining bottom crust dough and set aside.

Trim edges to just past rim. Patch dough if necessary. No one will see it since it’s the bottom of the pie.

To macerating fruit add remaining 5 tbsp flour or tapioca flour and cinnamon. Stir and use a slotted spoon to ladle into pie crust. Pour in just enough liquid to make the pie juicy but not overflow the pie plate. Dab the top of the filling with 1 tbsp shortening or butter or earth balance. (Do not throw out excess juice. I cried out when my helpful friend tried to get the juices out of my way. Instead, bring them to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce the heat and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes, and eat with a spoon…).

 

Roll out top crust the same way you rolled out the bottom one. This time you need to fold the pastry over the rolling pin and then unfold it once you place it on the piece. Remember to remove plastic wrap…For gluten-free, falling-apart dough, cut into triangles or strips or whatever shape you want and can easily transfer to top of pie (dab the top edge with water to create a glue if your top crust is going to stay together well). Cut about 10 incision holes in top crust if the filling is completely covered or you’ll have a bit of a mess on your hands. Use the bottom of a fork to mark (“flute”) all along the edge if desired, or just squeeze edges together.

 

Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake 25-30 minutes more. A gluten-free crust won’t brown as beautifully as a regular crust, but don’t over-bake it or it’ll get tough, just like a regular crust, unfortunately. The filling should be thickened and bubbly around the incisions or open areas on the top, but definitely don’t go past 38 minutes, no matter how un-bubbly it looks.

Let cool at least 10 minutes or you’ll burn your tongue, and you definitely won’t be able to taste the flavour of the fruit if it’s too hot. Warm is ideal.