Fall recipes: Rhubarb pie

by:  Katie Writer – KTNA

Delicious Rhubarb Pie

Homemade Pies are a wonderful treat that can bring that Roadhouse charm into your home.

Don’t let the making of the pie crust intimidate you, as this recipe is simple and a matter of mixing flour, butter and chilled water.

With each one you roll out, you’ll be amazed how fun it is to shape the crust. Your friends and family will love you and pies are wonderfully unique for Birthdays.

Kitchen Supplies

You’ll need a mixing bowl, pastry cutter, fork, rolling pin, 9” pie plate, wax paper, medium size pot to cook rhubarb, measuring spoons, and a wooden stirring spoon.

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees.

The Joy of Cooking’s Basic Pastry Dough recipe is simple and relatively fast.

This is for a 9 inch double crust pie. If you plan to make a single crust pie, just cut the recipe in half.

Mix these dry ingredients in a large bowl:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3  additional tablespoons of flour

Then add:

3/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening or lard

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Cut the butter and shortening with a pastry blender

Add:

7 tablespoons ice water

Mix just enough to blend ingredients.

Once you’ve cut the ingredients, make a couple of balls with the dough.

Spread out some wax paper, sprinkle with flour and roll out your crust big enough to overlap the edges of  your pie plate. Then roll out a second crust and put aside.

Bake the bottom crust for 10-15 minutes to slightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Rhubarb filling:

8 cups of rhubarb sliced in 1 inch chunks.

1 lemon(including 3 tablespoons of rind)

1 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of Tapioca

3 Tablespoons of butter for the inside of the pie

Cook the rhubarb over medium heat to soften. Add the Tapioca and bring to a boil for one minute. Add sugar and squeeze a fresh lemon(minus the seeds) into the mix.

Lemon zest will give your pie some great flavor.

Fill the slightly baked pie shell with rhubarb. Add a few pieces of butter on top of the rhubarb and this will be the hidden love. Then add the top crust and artfully shape the rims.

Take a knife and cut some designs into the soft pastry crust to give your pie some pizazz. Brush some milk onto the top and pop it into the oven for about 40 minutes.

Be sure to place the pie on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over.  Keep an eye on it as it bakes so that you don’t over bake it. Since you pre-cooked the rhubarb, it ought not take too long.

Best served hot a la mode.

For KTNA, I’m Katie Writer.