Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

There is something amazingly right and good and true about Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  I mean, rhubarb is this crazy vegetable with poisonous leaves and insanely sour/tart stems but if you add a little sugar and mix them with berries in a pie crust, they create the most wonderful sweet-tart pie that you can possibly imagine.  This just may be my favorite pie ever.  And the girls are definitely huge fans.  I dished up a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a treat the other afternoon and sat on the back step to watch the girls play in the yard while I ate it.  Except I couldn't even get a bite to a myself because Rose and Clara hovered right next to me and devoured the whole thing spoonful by spoonful while making happy "mmmmmmm" sounds. 

 

The filling is made with equal parts strawberries and chopped rhubarb with a little cinnamon for warmth and depth, lemon juice and zest for brightness, and tapioca for thickening.  And I think this is the perfect pie for a lattice-top crust, which never fails to impress. 

Clara loves when I make pies because I always give her the extra dough scraps from the crust and she uses her little rolling pin and a mini tart pan to make her own "pies". 

When the perfectly golden pie comes out of the oven with the tangy and sweet filling bubbling up out of the holes in the lattice top, it is a powerful thing.  I'm pretty sure this pie could bring about world peace. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

1 recipe basic double-crust pie dough

2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh

2 1/2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into pieces about the same size as the rhubarb

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons minute tapioca

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons butter, cubed small

1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Sugar for sprinkling on top

 

Prepare double-crust pie crust recipe.  Roll out one half of the crust and cover the bottom of a pie dish, while reserving the other half of the dough for the top crust. 

 

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into prepared crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter.  Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling either as a solid crust or by cutting into strips and laying them out in a lattice pattern. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Loosely cover edges with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling and crust is golden brown.

 

Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.

Strawberry Ice Cream

 

 

I love, love, love a good strawberry milkshake made with real strawberry ice cream (give me a strawberry shake over a chocolate or vanilla one any day) and this recipe is perfect for that.  And there is just something so pure and good and innocent about strawberry ice cream.  It has always been one of my most favorite flavors and it is also my Grandpa Johnson's favorite (my mom's dad) and whenever I eat strawberry ice cream I remember that.

 

Strawberry Ice Cream

 

3/4 cup half-and-half

3/4 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons sugar

Stir together the half-and-half, milk, and cream with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat the mixture until it's hot but not simmering or boiling.  In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar vigorously with a whisk until they start to lighten in color, about 2 minutes.

Next, scoop about 1/2 a cup of the hot cream mixture and slowly whisk it into the bowl with the egg yolks, to temper the eggs before adding them to the pan. Repeat with another half cup of the cream mixture, making sure to whisk the whole time.

Pour the tempered yolks into the saucepan with the rest of the cream mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon for about 2 to 4 minutes, cooking it slowly until it's just thick enough to coat the spoon.  our the thick liquid through a fine mesh strainer and into a clean bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours or longer until chilled.

Meanwhile, combine the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth (or you can stop just short of smooth if you want a little texture.) Pour the pureed strawberries into the chilled custard mixture and stir just before freezing the ice cream.

Now pour this mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze it according to its directions.  After churning, transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer to cure for at least 4 hours.