Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Prep: 50 mins

Cook: 65 mins

Cooling and Setting Time: 4 hrs

Total: 5 hrs 55 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Yield: 1 9-inch deep-dish pie

Tart and crisp when picked, rhubarb cooks down to a velvety texture that hugs strawberries for a summery combination like nothing else. It’s sour and sweet, soft and tender, and, delightfully, a very bold and bright pink. 

Harnessing Rhubarb’s Powerful Pucker

Rhubarb grows in gardens so well it’s hard to remove. Many old farm gardens still have active rhubarb patches. If you grew up near a stand of rhubarb, I can almost guarantee that a hot June day led to pulling rhubarb stalks and dipping them into Dixie cups of granulated sugar. The tartness is appealing to some and too much for others, so I’ve provided a range for the amount of sugar in the pie. 

How to Select and Prepare Rhubarb

Rhubarb leaves will make you sick, so compost them and bring just the stalks into the kitchen. Rhubarb sold in the grocery store never has leaves attached. Buy or pick the very deepest pinky red stalks because while green rhubarb tastes just the same, the color is one of the best reasons to make strawberry rhubarb pie.

To prepare rhubarb, dispose of any parts that are woody, and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. If the outer peel is fibrous and difficult to cut through, reveal the tender part of the stalk with a vegetable peeler.

The Tricks to a Sturdy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb and strawberries exude a lot of moisture while they cook. Instant ClearJel, a super strong version of cornstarch, will provide the sturdiest gel and a slice that won’t weep. If you aren’t committed to a firm set, cornstarch works very well. 

Because of the moisture, a latticed top crust will help the filling thicken. If a lattice is not happening in your kitchen, cut out shapes – hearts or stars are fun – and scatter them across the filling from edge to edge, leaving enough room to allow for evaporation.

Tips for Making Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

• Take your time — There is no need to rush pie making. Enjoy the process.
• Where to find rhubarb — Rhubarb can be hard to find; HMart carries it year round.
• There should be a total of 6 cups of fruit filling. If you have 4 cups of strawberries and 2 cups of rhubarb, that will be delicious, too. Mix and match the amounts to find your ideal strawberry rhubarb pie ratio.
• Prevent a soggy bottom — A layer of crushed cookies between the bottom crust and the filling will absorb some of the filling’s moisture and protect the bottom crust from getting soggy. However, the cookies are optional. You can also use breadcrumbs instead.
• Handling pie dough — To make rolling the pie dough into a circle easier, form the dough into a disk using plastic wrap to help with the shaping (so warm hands don’t melt the butter or shortening!). Tap the disk on the counter to firm the edges and discourage cracking and splitting when the dough is rolled out. Chill the dough for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Use masking tape to mark off 11 inches and roll to that measurement, turning the dough a quarter turn after each roll of the pin to ensure it isn’t sticking to the work surface.
• Get it nice and golden — Bake the pie until the top crust is good and browned. Not pale. A pale pie is not flaky.

Make Ahead

Pie dough can be formed into a disk and refrigerated up to 2 days before using it. Frozen, the pie dough lasts for 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

The whole pie, unbaked, may be frozen for up to 3 months. For best results freeze in a metal or aluminum pie dish in a plastic bag. Bake the pie directly from the freezer following the directions for a freshly made pie without defrosting. (Do not freeze pies for long periods in glass or ceramic pans as, when going straight from a hard freeze to 425 F, the dish may crack in the heat of the oven.)

You will need to bake a frozen pie 15 to 25 minutes longer than a freshly made pie. Keep an eye on the crust because it is likely to brown before the pie is fully baked. Loosely cover the pie with foil to prevent burning.

«Rhubarb with strawberries is one of my favorite food pairings! This pie was fantastic. I used 1 1/4 cups of sugar, and the filling was sweet but still tart tasting. I used a homemade butter crust, and I loved the sparkling sugar topping. I recommend covering the edge with a pie shield after the first 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.» —Diana Rattray

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

• 2 pie dough disks for a 9-inch pie, store bought or homemade (double this recipe)

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups (200 to 300 grams) granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup (28 grams) Instant ClearJel or cornstarch

• 12 ounces (335 grams) bright red rhubarb, trimmed, sliced 1/2-inch-thick (about 4 cups)

• 1 pint strawberries, cored, cut in 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) crushed cookies (Nilla wafers, ginger snaps, or Biscoff), optional

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, in small cubes

• Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt)

• Sparkling sugar, to decorate

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. On a lightly floured board or countertop using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out 1 pie dough disk to 11 inches.

   

3. Tuck the dough into a deep dish pie pan, pressing it into the bottom and sides of the pan and allowing the excess dough to hang over the edge. Refrigerate.

   

4. Roll out the second dough disk into an 11 to 12-inch rectangle or oblong.

   

5. Using a sharp paring knife or a fluted pastry cutter, slice long 1-inch-wide strips of dough, placing each one on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate.

   

6. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and Instant ClearJel or cornstarch.

   

7. In a large bowl, stir together the rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon juice. Stir in the granulated sugar mixture.

   

8. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs along the bottom of the pie, if using. Spoon the rhubarb mixture on top of the cookie crumbs. Scatter the butter cubes across the filling.

   

9. Lattice the top of the pie using the chilled strips.

   

10. Trim the overhanging dough and crimp the edge.

    

11. Place the filled pie in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 425F while the pie chills. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any spills. When the oven has come to temperature, remove the pie from the freezer.

    

12. Paint the surface of the pie with egg wash and liberally sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

    

13. Bake for 20 minutes in the center of the oven. Reduce the temperature to 350F and continue to bake until the filling is bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes. The crust should be deeply golden and shiny from the egg wash, sparkling from the sugar. If the crust starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

    

14. Cool the pie on a rack for at least 4 hours before slicing. Vanilla ice cream is superb alongside a slice.

    

How to Store

This pie is delicious on day one. Still good on day two. Better eat it up on day three. Store the pie on the counter under a cake dome for no more than 2 days or covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe Variations

• Rhubarb and strawberries love other flavorings. Replace the lemon juice with 1/2 teaspoon orange zest and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Or grapefruit. Or lime.
• Add 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, diced, to make the filling zing.
• Replace the cookie crumbs with 1/4 cup soft bread crumbs mixed with 1/4 cup ground, salted, roasted pistachios.

How Do You Keep the Bottom Crust of Fruit Pie From Getting Soggy?

There are four ways to avoid a soggy bottom:

1. Fully blind bake the crust. This option is best for pudding pies and others with precooked fillings but doesn't work well for double-crust pies.
2. Partially blind bake the crust. This option works for fillings that cook within 20 to 30 minutes.
3. On an unbaked bottom crust, use a cushion of cookie, cracker, or bread crumbs to absorb some of the moisture.
4. If, and only if, the pie is in a metal pan, bake it on a preheated pizza stone or BakingSteel.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	542
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g	26%
Saturated Fat 7g	37%
Cholesterol 27mg	9%
Sodium 310mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 86g	31%
Dietary Fiber 4g	14%
Total Sugars 45g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 31mg	154%
Calcium 75mg	6%
Iron 2mg	10%
Potassium 320mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.