Rhubarb Pie
At last week’s family dinner, my son requested I make one of his favourite desserts, rhubarb pie. “Mom, it’s spring, isn’t rhubarb in season now?” he said. Yes, the weather is definitely warming up. Rhubarb pie is easy to make and is indeed delicious, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. How could I say no?
Perhaps you knew that once upon a time rhubarb was baked so frequently in pies that it was referred to as pie plant. It has been used for medicinal purposes in China for centuries, and it was imported together with spices along the Silk Road, reaching Europe in the 14th century.
In the United Kingdom, the first rhubarb of the year is harvested by candlelight (how romantic!) in forcing sheds where all other light is excluded, a practice that produces a sweeter, more tender stalk.
Here in Canada rhubarb is easy to grow in your backyard if you have room, as the plants can get huge.
And here’s my recipe, from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book, with a few slight mods.
Entire Rhubarb Pie
Makes one 9-inch two-crust pie
Make the dough:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening (I use half butter and half lard), chilled
6 - 7 tablespoons cold water
I cut the butter and lard up into small bits then add to the flour and salt in the Kenwood mixer and mix just until incorporated. Then add the water on lowest speed until the mixture forms a shaggy ball.
Preheat oven to 450F.
Waiting for the upper crust
Ready to bake
Prepare the rhubarb
1 1/2 cups sugar (I use less)
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (mine were a bit bigger😉)
2 tablespoons butter (I use less)
Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the rolled out pastry dough. Add the combined sugar, flour, salt and vanilla to the cut up rhubarb and toss well. Pile the filling onto the bottom crust, dot with butter, cover with the top crust and crimp the edges. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350F and bake another 30 to 40 minutes (35 in my oven).
Hot out of the oven and smelling divine.
Don’t mind the imperfections it will still taste good!
