Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Let me get something off my chest: I’m not a fan of Emeril Lagasse. If I hear “bam” one more time, I’m liable to hit someone with my pasta roller. Even worse, his face practically follows me down the pasta aisle. But when I saw rave reviews for his sweet pie crust dough recipe, I set aside my bias long enough to give it a try…with flaky results!

My pie crusts have always come out either too hard or flavorless, leaving me very frustrated. So when I decided to try my hand at a strawberry rhubarb pie, I knew my crust had to be better than usual. This was especially true since this was the first time I ever worked with (or even ate) rhubarb. I googled “best pie crust recipe” and one of the first entries was Emeril’s recipe from a Good Morning America segment (at least it wasn’t from The Today Show…I hate Meridith Viera). The recipe included tips for ensuring a flaky, solid pie crust, which I believe made a HUGE difference. Since I linked the recipe for the dough above, I will concentrate on the filling here.

I had no clue where to even begin with the rhubarb part of the pie, but I was really good at making a strawberry tart filling. So I basically added rhubarb to the pie filling I usually made, adding (at the suggestion of a friend) brown sugar to the mixture. To make sure the pie wasn’t too tart, I took a taste of the rhubarb after combining all of the ingredients. It had a great bite without being bitter, something that made me suddenly very eager to have a slice of the finished product!

Pie Filling:

6 stalks rhubarb, diced into cubes

4 cups strawberries, sliced lengthwise

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg wash for the pie crust:

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place the fruits into a mixing bowl and sprinkle with both sugars. With either a spoon or your hand, toss the fruits around to evenly coat them with the sugars. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and continue to toss. Add the cornstarch and stir until the mixture thickens and a bit of a glaze is created.

Set the filling aside and roll out the pie crust dough. Place it into a pie pan, trimming the excess off the sides to ensure an even crust. Whisk together the egg and water and brush the egg wash on the entire pie crust. Pour the filling into the pie crust and place in the oven for 45-55 minutes. The crust should be golden and the filling should start to gel. This may require you rotating the pie halfway during the baking cycle.

Allow the pie to cool and then place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow the filling to fully set. Unfortunately, I didn’t do this because since I’d never cooked with rhubarb, I didn’t realize how juicy it would become. Although the filling wasn’t completely set, the pie was still very good and well received at the neighborhood brunch.

And while the pie crust was as fantastic as advertised, I still don’t like Emeril…and I dare anyone to say “bam” to me.