strawberry rhubarb crumble pie
It starts with a pie crust. A little something like this one, but with a blend of whole wheat and unbleached white flour. It's filled with a sweet-tart mixture of strawberries and rhubarb.
And topped with a crumble.
That said, fruit desserts are always a bit messy. Crumbles don't even pretend to be neat. You know the drill: once the first piece is cut, the filling spills out into the serving dish. This pie-crumble hybrid is no exception. But with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, you won't mind. And the leftovers won't last long enough for anyone to notice.
Guys, I love this whole wheat crust. It's my favorite part. But if you really aren't feeling up to making your own crust, double the crumble topping, add a little extra flour, and bake without the crust. In its place I recommend a buttered dish. Cook it more or less until it's brown, it bubbles, and the juices are no longer opaque. That's a true crumble. Just don't forget the ice cream.
The recipe for strawberry rhubarb crumble pie follows.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie
Whole wheat sugar pie crust
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
1 egg, beaten, plus 1 teaspoon of water, for egg wash
2 tablespoons rolled oats
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
Crumble topping
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
pinch salt
6 tablespoons (not quite a stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Strawberry-rhubarb filling
3/4 pound rhubarb (about 3 stalks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 pints strawberries, hulled, large berries halved
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (heaping) cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice or orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons honey
First, prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pie crust according to these instructions, through prep for blind baking, but don't bake just yet. Proceed according to the following instructions.
Place oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Bake crust 15 minutes or until it begins to dry and set. Remove foil and pie weights. Brush bottom and sides (not the top edge) with egg wash. Sprinkle bottom of crust with 2 tablespoons of oats and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Set aside and let cool completely.
In the meantime, get the filling ready. In a large saucepan, stir together rhubarb pieces, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and honey. Let sit for 20 minutes or so until the juices have released from the fruit. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, let simmer for 3 minutes to thicken the juices, then set aside. Be careful not to overcook and break down the strawberries. They should be soft but hold their shape.
For the crumble topping, combine oats, flour, and brown sugar in a food processor. Add butter cubes and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs.
Pour the fruit filling into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with topping mixture. Don't forget to increase oven temperature! Then bake 35-40 minutes or until top is light brown and mixture is bubbling and no longer opaque.
Allow to cool several hours before serving to allow the juices to thicken. This pie keeps well at room temperature.
And topped with a crumble.
I think a fruit pie is a home cook's trophy. This strawberry rhubarb crumble pie is a victory I'm happy to share. It applies the best efforts of a hefty, buttery whole wheat crust and a light, crumbly topping to the impressive tradition of Southern fruit pies.
Can we talk about cornstarch for a minute? There's a rumor out there that tapioca powder is a healthier, adequate substitute for cornstarch. Maybe that's true in some recipes, but it hasn't yet worked for me. So, for this recipe, I recommend the usual evil in the yellow tub. It helps the fresh fruit "gel" together in a way that I can't otherwise recreate.
That said, fruit desserts are always a bit messy. Crumbles don't even pretend to be neat. You know the drill: once the first piece is cut, the filling spills out into the serving dish. This pie-crumble hybrid is no exception. But with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, you won't mind. And the leftovers won't last long enough for anyone to notice.
Guys, I love this whole wheat crust. It's my favorite part. But if you really aren't feeling up to making your own crust, double the crumble topping, add a little extra flour, and bake without the crust. In its place I recommend a buttered dish. Cook it more or less until it's brown, it bubbles, and the juices are no longer opaque. That's a true crumble. Just don't forget the ice cream.
The recipe for strawberry rhubarb crumble pie follows.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie
Whole wheat sugar pie crust
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
1 egg, beaten, plus 1 teaspoon of water, for egg wash
2 tablespoons rolled oats
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
Crumble topping
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
pinch salt
6 tablespoons (not quite a stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Strawberry-rhubarb filling
3/4 pound rhubarb (about 3 stalks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 pints strawberries, hulled, large berries halved
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (heaping) cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice or orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons honey
First, prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pie crust according to these instructions, through prep for blind baking, but don't bake just yet. Proceed according to the following instructions.
Place oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Bake crust 15 minutes or until it begins to dry and set. Remove foil and pie weights. Brush bottom and sides (not the top edge) with egg wash. Sprinkle bottom of crust with 2 tablespoons of oats and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Set aside and let cool completely.
In the meantime, get the filling ready. In a large saucepan, stir together rhubarb pieces, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and honey. Let sit for 20 minutes or so until the juices have released from the fruit. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, let simmer for 3 minutes to thicken the juices, then set aside. Be careful not to overcook and break down the strawberries. They should be soft but hold their shape.
For the crumble topping, combine oats, flour, and brown sugar in a food processor. Add butter cubes and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs.
Pour the fruit filling into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with topping mixture. Don't forget to increase oven temperature! Then bake 35-40 minutes or until top is light brown and mixture is bubbling and no longer opaque.
Allow to cool several hours before serving to allow the juices to thicken. This pie keeps well at room temperature.
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