Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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A Farm Family Recipe

This strawberry rhubarb pie comes from my dear mother-in-law’s tried and true recipe based on the Farm Journal’s Best-Ever Pies from 1981. Having raised her four children on a farm, it’s fitting she used the Farm Journal. Her recipe has been a hit at family gatherings and celebrations. Even if you are stuffed from the main course, you stick around for her strawberry rhubarb pie – often accompanied with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The flavorful and flaky crust balances with the sweet and tart fruit filling. This strawberry rhubarb pie is held in such high regard that my husband and I decided to have pie instead of cake at our wedding. Many fruit pies on our wedding pie table were sourced from a local baker, Buckler’s Sweets (her pies are amazing). But my mother-in-law made our special wedding pie with her recipe. My sister-in-law customized the top crust as seen here:

While the strawberry rhubarb pie tastes like it requires a high skill level, my mother-in-law assured me that it would be easy to make. For another strawberry dessert try Strawberry Pretzel Jello Dessert.

The Steps of Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Start with the crust. Flour, salt, vegetable shortening, ice water. Use a pastry cutter like the one below to cut in the shortening with the flour and salt. I don’t claim to be an expert pie maker by any means, so I wasn’t sure if my trial run of the dough would turn out. But it did! This recipe makes enough for 2 and a half to three pie crusts.

Spread some flour on the counter before you roll it out with a rolling pin. Pinch off about 1/3 of the dough. Roll out a 12″ diameter circle for the bottom. Pinch off another 1/3 of the dough and roll out another crust for the top. You’ll have leftover dough after making the two crusts.

Use a 9.5 inch deep dish pie pan if you have one. Mine is very similar to this one. It contained all of the pie juices the entire time of baking. No leaks or spills!

Next the rhubarb and strawberries. Our local Kroger thankfully carries fresh rhubarb most of the year. Or sometimes they carry it in the frozen food section. Fresh from a garden is best if that is available to you in the spring. Thankfully my mother-in-law supplied most of the fresh rhubarb here from her garden.

Slice rhubarb about 3/4 inch thick. This size allows the pieces to stay firm enough and not get too mushy during the baking.

Slice fresh strawberries 1/2 inch thick. As my mother-in-law shares, this is a very forgiving recipe. So if the strawberries aren’t exactly that width, don’t sweat it. Another strawberry dessert favorite is Strawberry Pretzel Jello Dessert.

Add the sugar, flour and salt. Mix lightly in a large bowl.

Dump the mixture into the prepped crust. Time for butter! Divide up the two tablespoons of butter and dollop across the top of the pie.

Cut slits in the top before transferring crust to pie. Fold the top crust under the lower crust all the way around. Then flute the edge. I just pressed the dough edges between my pointer finger of my left hand and my thumb and pointer finger of my right hand. Thankfully it turned out okay! At this point you could wrap the pie with foil or plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. Baking time is essentially the same. Watch for golden crust and bubbling juices like you normally would. Freezing makes it easy to prep ahead for holidays or celebrations.

Bake at 350°, center rack, for about 40-50 minutes, until the juices start to bubble and the crust is golden brown. (When I baked from frozen it needed 55 min.) To prevent the crust edges from being over-baked, I go the cheap route and take strips of aluminum foil, curve them and lightly cover edge of the pie. But I know they make tools for such occasions as pictured below:

Let the pie rest for 30 minutes or more to allow the juices to thicken. The longer you wait, the better the piece of pie will hold up. Add vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream!

The Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by nickelplatekitchen.com

July 11, 2019

Servings: 6-8

Prep: 1 hr

Cook: 50 min

Total: 2 hr

Difficulty: Moderate

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The delicious crust and sweet and tart strawberry rhubarb filling makes this time-honored family recipe a classic dessert pie for any occasion, especially in the spring and early summer.

By: Elizabeth Newman

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup + 1 heaping Tbsp vegetable shortening
• 12 Tbsp iced water (very cold)
• 2 and 1/2 cups rhubarb, sliced about 3/4 inch thick
• 2 and 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 and 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter

Directions

• Step 1 Pour 3 cups flour and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the vegetable shortening until it reaches a crumbly, pea-sized consistency.
• Step 2 Add a few tablespoons of the ice water (not ice) and work into the dough with a strong wooden spoon. Continue adding a few tablespoons at a time and stirring until all the water is combined.
• Step 3 Sprinkle some flour on the work surface, rolling pin and your hands. Pinch off about 1/3 of the dough, shape into a ball and place on work surface. Roll out the dough to a 12″ diameter circle.
• Step 4 Repeat same steps as described to create a second 12″ diameter pie crust.
• Step 5 Place one pie crust in a deep 9.5 inch baking dish.
• Step 6 For the filling, combine the sliced rhubarb and strawberries in a large mixing bowl. Add the 1 and 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1/8 tsp salt. Lightly stir until just combined.
• Step 7 Pour filling into crust-lined pie pan.
• Step 8 Dot the top with pieces of butter.
• Step 9 Cut desired slits in the top crust while it is on the work surface.
• Step 10 Transfer the top crust over the filling. Trim to a more perfect circle if needed. Tuck the top crust edge under the lower crust. Flute the edge with desired design or technique.
• Step 11 To prevent the crust from burning, place a pie crust protector over the crust (or fashion one out of aluminum foil) and place lightly over the crust’s edge during baking.
• Step 12 Bake pie in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling through the slits in the top of the pie crust.
• Step 13 Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes. The longer the time to cool, the thicker the juices will be.
• Step 14 Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Did you try this recipe?

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