Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Memorial Day weekend is upon us. Can you believe it!?! I, for one, certainly didn't see it coming! I mean, it was only a measly three weeks ago that there was still snow on the ground! Ugh.

In other news, T & I will be celebrating our one year anniversary this Sunday. The year has gone by so fast that it doesn't seem possible that we could be celebrating our one year already! Unfortunately, T's current work schedule is putting a major crimp in our style, so we won't be doing anything too grand this year to celebrate. At least not this weekend. A 40-hour time period (minus sleeping time) really doesn't work well when we are about 3 hours away from anywhere we would consider visiting for a little getaway celebration.

HOWEVER, just because our celebrating for the weekend is undetermined, it doesn't mean yours has to be! Please, please, make this pie. It is beyond delicious, and, if you don't mind my saying...super patriotic in celebration of this Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy!

Step One: Gather the ingredients. Make the pie crust. Chill. Roll out the bottom crust and place in pie dish. Chill before adding filling.

Step Two: Mix together the filling. Fill up the pie! Decided what you want to do with the design on the top. As you can see, I chose stars. How Patriotic of me right? Preheat the oven.

Don't forget to make a foil collar around the edges of your pie crust so it doesn't burn while cooking!

Recipe from Food Network

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB PIE | Yield: 1 pie | Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C cake flour (I used Soft As Silk)
3 tsp powdered sugar
1/2 C butter-flavored shortening
1/4 C salted butter
Pinch salt
1 egg
2 tsp vinegar
1/4 C ice cold water

Filling:
2 1/2 C chopped red rhubarb
2 1/2 C strawberries, cut in large pieces
1 1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp minute tapioca
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp butter, cubed small* (optional - AKA I always forget this and it turns out just fine)
1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp water
Large granule sugar

DIRECTIONS:

CRUST:
Use a pastry blender to blend the flours, sugar, shortening, butter and salt.* Whisk the egg, vinegar and water in a 2-cup measure and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix in the wet ingredients without overworking the dough. Form a ball, and toss any additional flour over the ball (for best results, cover with plastic wrap and chill if possible). Divide the dough into 2 disks. Roll out 1 piece of dough to make a bottom crust. Place into a pie dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and put dish in refrigerator to chill.

*NOTE: If you don't have a pastry blender (me), you can also use a potato masher for a similar effect.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

FILLING:
Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour into chilled crust. If you are using butter, now is the time to dot the top of the filling. Roll out the other piece of dough. Now's the time to impress! I got fancy and used a cookie cutter to make stars for the top of my pie. You can do any design you want. Cover it all up, leave some out and use cut-outs, the world is your oyster! Brush the edges of the pie crust with the egg wash and place the dough over the top, crimping to seal. Brush the entire pie top (crust portions only) with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.

*NOTE: If you are using cut-outs, you'll still want to brush the pie crust pieces on the top to give them that glazed look. If you forget (me), this will not ruin your pie, so don't worry about it.

Collar with foil (to avoid burning the edges), and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Cool before serving.

Do you have any exciting plans for Memorial Day?