Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Do you love strawberries?  Do you love rhubarb?  How about mixing those two into a pie filling?
My rhubarb plant is flourishing and begging to be used.  So I added strawberries to the grocery list and headed off to the grocery.  Once home, I harvested a bunch of rhubarb, tied on my favorite apron and got busy in the kitchen.

Once the pie filling was mixed, I made the pie crust.  Yes, I made the crust. I'm not a fan of readi-made crusts but will admit that I've used them in a pinch, but nothing beats homemade pie crust.
Lard makes the best pie crust, so add that to your shopping list and ditch the hydrogenated oil (Crisco).  You will be amazed at how tender and flaky your crust will be.

In case you don't have a rhubarb plant growing in your garden, I noticed at the market that they had a nice supply of rhubarb, so if you'd like to try the recipe you should be able to find both the rhubarb and strawberries at your local market.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced strawberries

7 cups sliced rhubarb

1/2 cup minute tapioca

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients.  Set aside while you prepare the pie crust.

Pie Crust:

2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup lard

5 to 6 Tablespoons cold water

1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together the flour and salt into a mixing blow.  Add the shortening.

Using a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour until all particles are the size of rice grains.

Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture, a little at a time, mixing with a fork.

Continue until all the flour is dampened, using just enough water to form a dough which leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and form it into a ball.  Divide into two equal portions.  Wrap each half and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour before rolling.

Roll out the first half of the dough on a lightly floured board.  Roll until 1/8th inch thickness.  

Fold in half and lift it into the pie pan.  Place it gently into the pie plate, unfolding it and pressing it gently into the pan.  Take care to not stretch the pastry.  

Give the filling a stir to thoroughly mix. 

Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

Top with small chunks of butter.

Roll out the second half of the dough in the same manner as the first.  

Fold in half and place across the middle of the pie filling. 

Trim edges, fold under and crimp to seal.

Using a sharp knife, cut steam vents in the top crust.

Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is bubbly.

I added a cookie sheet on the oven shelf below the pie to catch any drips.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

...and That's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!