Since rhubarb can survive cold climates, it grows wonderfully here in Alberta, Canada all summer long. I have four rhubarb plants, and they produce wonderful stalks of red rhubarb. They are in partial shade, partial sun and seem to do really well here. We pick throughout the summer and the rhubarb continues to grow more stalks. The more you pick it, the more will grow. Toss the leaves though because they are not edible and I have been taught all my life that they are poisonous.
Rhubarb has been cultivated since the 1600’s and was once used medicinally, but it became more known as a food in the mid-1700’s. It became a popular ingredient in pies in the early 1800’s when there was not an abundance of fruit to be eaten.
I love that rhubarb can be canned as fruit or made into jams and even pies. It is a versatile plant and goes wonderfully with strawberries or oranges. My gramma always made the most delicious rhubarb fruit that we enjoyed as dessert, canned with pieces of orange or sometimes strawberries if she had a lot on her strawberry plants that summer. I preserve rhubarb in all sorts of ways so we can enjoy all through the year, especially in the winter months. Today, I am sharing my deliciously sweet, yet tart rhubarb pie that I have paired with strawberries which helps sweeten the rhubarb a bit and gives a wonderful flavor!
The first thing we need to do is make a crust. Since I am cooking the filling on the stove and not in the oven, I will be blind baking the pie crust. Blind baking just means to bake without a filling. Once my pie crust is in the pan, I poke the crust with a fork to avoid the crust from forming hollow pockets in the bottom crust. I do not fill it with beans or anything to keep the crust down. I cook it as I was taught — poke with a fork and bake, keeping an eye on it. If it happens to rise up and form pockets, I poke those with a fork. My crust sometimes shrinks, but always turns out wonderfully flaky! You can get my never fail pie crust recipe here: http://www.ourcityhomestead.com/never-fail-pie-crust/
I love the beautiful red stalks of rhubarb. I trim the ends off and sometimes, the “peel” of the rhubarb comes off which is perfectly fine because those are fibrous and sometimes cannot break down. Remove the outer skin if need be. Trim the strawberries and rinse them. These strawberries are from the farmer’s market since we do not have any strawberry plants this summer.
Chop the rhubarb. I use about 4 cups. Chop the strawberries as well, using about 1 to 2 cups.
Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, water, and butter altogether. Cook for about an hour or until the rhubarb is stewed to a desired doneness. I cook about an hour, adding more water if rhubarb appears “dry” (or pot sounds like its burning the fruit). Taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if you like. Once cooked, I add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the filling. Stir as you pour in the cornstarch slurry (just cornstarch mixed in water) so you do not get any lumps. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool until just warm, about 3 hours.
Pour into pie crust. If you have extra fruit left over, refrigerate and serve over yogurt with granola. It is simply delicious!
Once cooled completely, serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Homemade ice cream tastes best, but really any kind works wonderfully.
Refrigerate any leftover strawberry rhubarb pie.
With fruit pies, I often toss fruit and sugar in a pot with water and cook it down before adding a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. I usually do not follow recipes for this, so I often give approximate amounts. Adjust sugar and water as needed.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
4 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 cups strawberries, chopped
2 cups sugar, adjust as needed to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 cup water
cornstarch slurry – 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed into 1/4 cup water
Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, butter and water in large cooking pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour, or until rhubarb fruit is stewed and tender. We are not cooking this in the oven, so be sure fruit is cooked to desired doneness. If fruit is crispy, it will remain as such in the crust. Add cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened. Do not add too much as it will thicken more as it cools and too much cornstarch will give it a gritty, stodgy taste. Let cool.
Prepare pie crust. Press into pie pan and blind bake, about 15 minutes or until golden brown and bottom is done. Thick pie crust may need longer to cook. Let cool.
Pour filling into crust while slightly warm. Let cool completely. Refrigerate to help the pie cool much quicker. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours