I looked it up on the internet to find out what regions it grew in. Hmmm, turns out it's a vegetable, and tho technically a vegetable, it became legally deemed a fruit in New York in 1947 because it was most often cooked as one.
In order to grow it requires cold winters, so perhaps that's why Texas Karen had no clue what it was.
This is my recipe.
STRAWBERRY - RHUBARB PIE
1 recipe makes 3 small 6" pies or one large pie. I prefer to make small ones I can give away.
Ingredients
- 2 pie crust recipe (use your favorite or store bought)
- 3 cups fresh rhubarb chopped (the smaller the pies, the smaller the pieces)
- 3 cups fresh strawberries hulled and cut into pieces (the smaller the pies, the smaller the pieces)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (adjust the sugar if you like things a bit sour)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch or a little less
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoon water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a pie pans(s) place your pie crusts evenly in the pan and press it into the pan. Set aside in the fridge until the filling is ready.
- In a medium bowl, add your chopped rhubarb and strawberries. In a smaller bowl, mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt together.
- Pour over the fruit and mix. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix again. Pour the filling in the prepared pie shell and dot with butter.
- Place the top crust over the filled pie and crimp the edges together. Cut a few vents in the tip crust to allow steam to escape. Use a fork to mix the egg and water together and with a pastry brush or your finger, brush it evenly across the top crust.
- Place pie(s) on a baking sheet lined with parchment as the pie(s) will likely bubble over and bake on the middle rack for about 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top crust is very golden brown. If the crust is getting too dark before the time is up, cover it gently with foil to avoid burning the top crust while the bottom crust bakes through.
- Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
I like doing a lattice top weaving strips. You can look up how to do this on YouTube if you aren't familiar with the 'how-to'. Just be gentle and focus, try not to rush. I got thumbs up from the folks I gave pies to... yeah.