Monday, August 17, 2009

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

So I promised a recipe (some time ago) and it is finally coming!

Handsome's birthday was August the 8th. We were planning to be out of town from August 7th(ish) to August 12th(ish), so seeing as I had nothing really going on except trip preparation on the 6th, I decided I could prepare a birthday dinner for the man. I bought some bone in rib eyes and stuff for a salad, but most importantly I bought fresh strawberries, fresh rhubarb, pie crusts (I know I was cheating), and a few other necessary ingredients for the man's birthday cake...eh hemm, pie.

Mr. Ruggedly Handsome's absolute, most favorite dessert is Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Prior to dating the man, I had never even heard of this. And after we started dating it took several trips to a local dessert bakery for me to gather enough courage to try it... but I did and now some three or four years later I have finally made one.

Some time before his birthday, but after we knew we would be on a trip, the Mr. requested a pie for his birthday. The idea of making him a pie was not that exciting to me for two reasons: 1. I don't know how. and 2. I don't really like pie. Actually, maybe three reasons with the final being 3. Handsome's mom makes him this pie for his birthday each year and everyone knows a good wife just really can't compete with a good mother as far as the man's favorite birthday dessert. (Oh, we don't all know this? Well, my man's mom is a really good cook... but I digress).

I searched the web and came up with this recipe which I thought looked simple enough to attempt, yet also delisch.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Trim outside stringy layer of large rhubarb stalks; make sure to trim away any and discard of the leaves which are poisonous; trim ends.)
  • 1 cup strawberries, stemmed and sliced
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of grated orange peel
  • Unbaked pastry for two-crust 9 inch pie


The instructions say to cut up the strawberries and rhubarb into little-ish pieces. Mix together with the sugar, quick cooking tapioca, salt, and orange peel.



You let this sit for 10 minutes while the oven is pre-heating to 400 degrees. It will get gooey.
I rolled out one of the pre-made Pillsbury piecrusts and floured it just a bit (per package instructions because of the sugary-ness of the pie).


Then you fill the empty crust with the cut up pieces of strawberry and rhubarb mixed with all the other ingredients.

Here you need to trim the edge of the bottom crust. Then you will cover with the second pie crust...

Fold the excess of the top crust underneath the bottom crust once its on.


Then you have to press it together, make it pretty and cut slits in the top to let heat escape while cooking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30-40 minutes. And cool on a rack.

If you cut it while its hot it will be runny and gooey... but if you wait until it cools, it will stay together a little better and you can enjoy a piece. (I like mine with chocolate ice cream... He likes it with vanilla.)

So there you have it... Happy Birthday Pie for the most handsome man I know. We enjoyed it. I hope you will too.

I'm here. And I'm still writing...
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P.S. I got the recipe from Simply Recipes (and their pictures are a little better than mine :)...)

1 comment:

Q, La, and Gooner said...

Oh I LOVE rhubarb. Crisp is by far my favorite!