Pies are one of my favorite things to bake, they do take a little time and patience, but the payoff is totally worth it. Plus, everyone loves a pie whether it’s totally glammed up for Instagram or rustic.
This pie is made with my all-butter pie crust, I think the flavor and flakiness of an all-butter crust cannot be beaten. This one has a bit of a higher ratio of butter than a lot of recipes I’ve seen and that’s because I like to completely blend some of the butter (about one third) into the flour mixture. The butter that gets completely worked in helps to keep the crust tender, while the larger pieces of butter add that flake factor. I like to nerd out on pie crust techniques and my favorite resources are this Serious Eats article and anything that Zoe Bakes says.
I’ve filled this pie with one of my springtime favorites–rhubarb–and paired it with both raspberries and blueberries. Truth be told, I’m not a fan of the classic strawberry-rhubarb combo, it’s not that I don’t like either, I’m just not super big on cooked strawberries. Plus, the flavor of this pie is equally delicious–my friends and family loved it–and a little something different.
Notes:
My best tip for pie success is to chill the dough at every opportunity! That means after it’s made and after you roll it or fit it into the pan. I also chill the fully assembled pie before baking it in a hot oven. I find that all that chilling is worth it in the end and helps your pie keep it’s shape as it bakes. All that butter in the dough wants to melt and chilling keeps it firm. Also, let the pie completely to room temperature after it’s baked, this takes an incredible amount of patience but is the difference between a slice that comes out clean and one that falls completely apart.
Fruit-filled pies take a LONG time to bake in a relatively hot oven. Don’t freak out! I go for a 400°F oven and don’t take the pie out of the oven until I see the filling bubbling all the way through the middle of the pie. Most pie thickeners (I’m a cornstarch gal) need to come to a boil to activate, so this step is important! The whole process could take 1 to 2 hours, depending on how much liquid your filling releases and/or the temperature of the filling.
If you are worried about how dark your top crust or edges are getting, just fashion a tent of foil or a ring of foil to guard it after it gets golden enough for you. I actually like to use an inexpensive pie shield (like this one) since it’s reusable. Don’t worry too much about the bottom crust, it should be well insulated from the sheet pan below, the pie plate itself (especially if it’s glass or ceramic), and the filling of the pie.
Whether you’re a lattice-topped fan or into some cute cut-outs on top kinda person, my best tip is to roll out both crusts before getting started on the filling. I just fit the bottom crust into the pie plate and chill it, then roll out the top crust, cut my lattice strips if that’s the way I’m going, and any decorations before popping those onto a lined sheet pan and chilling those as well. It makes the pie assembly come together like a breeze.
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- Pie Dough (makes 2 crusts):
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 10 ounces (1¼ cups) very cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
- ¼ – ½ cup ice water
- Pie:
- 1 recipe all-butter pie dough
- 1 lb rhubarb cut into pieces
- 8 oz raspberries
- 8 oz blueberries
- 1 cup sugar (use vanilla sugar if you have it)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Begin by making the pie dough. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine. Add about ⅓ of the butter and pulse until the butter is completely incorporated. Add the remaining ⅔ butter and pulse until you get a pebbly texture with some fine bits and some chunky bits of butter. Gradually pulse in the water a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough is just moistened–it will still appear sandy but should clump together when pinched. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press together to form a ball. Cut the dough ball in half and wrap each half in plastic, forming a flat disc out of each as you wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour, to overnight. You can make the dough up to a month in advance, just wrap well and freeze. Refrigerate overnight to defrost.
- For the pie:
- Roll out both pie dough discs into a round ⅛ inch thick and about 10-12 inches in diameter. Fit one disc of the dough into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving any excess dough as an overhang for the time being, and refrigerate until ready to fill. Cut vents using a sharp knife or small cookie cutter in the center of the remaining disc and place onto a floured baking sheet and set to the side.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest, stirring gently to combine. Add the fruit mixture to the prepared pie plate , cover with the second disc of dough, trim the shaggy edges of the dough leaving about an inch to fold over and crimp. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and milk together until well combined. Cut out decorative shapes from the dough trimmings, if you want, and affix to the pie using the egg wash. Brush the entire top of the pie with the egg wash. Refrigerate the entire pie until the top of the pie dough is firm.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Once the oven has preheated and the dough is firm, bake the pie (on top of a sheet pan to catch any drips) for at least 1 hour, until golden on top and the fruit filling is bubbling all the way through the center. This can take up to 1½ hours or more. Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before cutting (this will take several hours, be patient!).
What a pretty pie!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/aged-cheddar-sliders-with-pineapple-guacamole/