Ooookay. Summer, where are you? Yes I realize its beautiful outside. I see those people suntanning, reading a book, enjoying one another's company. But instead, I find myself holed up in the library studying my day away. Let's be real. The view from the library is not a bad one. Take a look.
However, I'd rather be out there than in here. I just need a little summer in my life. Soon enough I suppose. I'm taking my next CPA exam in just a few short weeks so I'm slaving away in the library until then. Luckily most of my friends have to be doing the same thing so at least we're in it together right? Well in case you're also in need of a little summer in your life, here's an awesome recipe to help you out.
Today I'll be sharing with you a fantastic strawberry rhubarb pie. It's from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook which my sisters and I each got for Christmas a few years back and we LOVE it. Seriously, everything we have made turns out, it's awesome. And it always provides substitutions in case you don't have an ingredient and techniques. I'm finally understanding why things work instead of just reading a recipe. However, this recipe called for arrowroot. Arrowwhat? I had never heard of it. But apparently it's a thickening agent and can be found in the spice section of the grocery store. However, Amy and I couldn't find it anywhere so we just subbed in some cornstarch. I'd be interested to find out if anyone uses arrowroot and what it's like, so please do share if you have used it before. We also decided to use a store-bought pie crust from Trader Joes to make it a little easier on ourselves, but feel free to make your own. Trader Joe's has a really good pie crust so I don't find much difference between that one and a homemade one. This pie is perfectly sweet with a little tartness from the rhubarb. It's absolutely perfect for any summer shindig that you may be attending. But don't forget to serve it with vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients:
two 9 inch pie crusts
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 cups strawberries, hulled, sliced and mashed
1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces (5-6 cups)
1 to 1 1/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp arrowroot (I substituted with 1/4 cup of cornstarch)
1 egg white, for egg wash
1 tbsp sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and place a rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat oven to 500F. Roll out pie dough and press into a 9 inch pie plate (vague I know, but depending on what kind of dough you're using it's different... ours was pre-rolled). Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook, while stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has lost most of its liquid but is still firm. This should take about 5 minutes. Pour the rhubarb on a large plate and refrigerate until cool. In a large bowl, stir together the cooled rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Pour the arrowroot (or cornstarch) and 1 cup of sugar (we went with 3/4 cup so it wouldn't be so sweet, but adjust to your liking) over the mixture. Then, stir until the sugar and arrowroot are incorporated. Spread the fruit mixture over the unbaked pie crust. Lay the top crust over the fruit and seal the edges with your fingers. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie to create vents. Put the egg white and 1 tbsp of water in a bowl and whisk together to make the egg wash. Brush the egg wash on the top of the crust to allow it to brown in the oven. Sprinkle the top with sugar if desired. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven to 425F. Bake 25 minutes, or until the top crust is golden. Rotate the baking sheet and reduce the oven again, this time to 375F. Bake until the crust is a deep golden color and the fruit is bubbling, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack for cooling before serving.
Source: Recipe adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and place a rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat oven to 500F. Roll out pie dough and press into a 9 inch pie plate (vague I know, but depending on what kind of dough you're using it's different... ours was pre-rolled). Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook, while stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has lost most of its liquid but is still firm. This should take about 5 minutes. Pour the rhubarb on a large plate and refrigerate until cool. In a large bowl, stir together the cooled rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Pour the arrowroot (or cornstarch) and 1 cup of sugar (we went with 3/4 cup so it wouldn't be so sweet, but adjust to your liking) over the mixture. Then, stir until the sugar and arrowroot are incorporated. Spread the fruit mixture over the unbaked pie crust. Lay the top crust over the fruit and seal the edges with your fingers. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie to create vents. Put the egg white and 1 tbsp of water in a bowl and whisk together to make the egg wash. Brush the egg wash on the top of the crust to allow it to brown in the oven. Sprinkle the top with sugar if desired. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven to 425F. Bake 25 minutes, or until the top crust is golden. Rotate the baking sheet and reduce the oven again, this time to 375F. Bake until the crust is a deep golden color and the fruit is bubbling, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack for cooling before serving.
Source: Recipe adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
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