Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

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Adapted from Pie, by Ken Haedrich (Harvard Common Press, 2004).

Simple Solution

Here in the American Northeast, the appearance of the first rhubarb

is a sign that winter is really, truly over--and that makes a great

excuse for celebration. This luscious sweet-tart pie is the perfect

way to throw open the doors to Spring and enjoy the first tastes of

its tender bounty: juicy, tender strawberries paired with tart

rhubarb make the perfect spring dessert. We also include a fun and

easy way to make the tender crust--in a skillet!

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe Skillet Crust (see below)

Filling

4 cups fresh rhubarb stalks, leaves removed, sliced in 1/4-inch

thick crosswise slices

2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

3/4 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Make the crust, pressing 2 cups of the crumbs into a buttered

extra-deep-dish pie pan (see directions below). Set the pie pan

aside, reserving the remaining crumbs for topping.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon

juice, flour, cardamom, and ginger in a large bowl and allow to rest

for 10 minutes.

3. Pour filling evenly into pie shell, smoothing the top with a

spoon, then crumble the remaining crumbs for the crust recipe evenly

over the pie. Press down gently.

5. Bake on the center rack for 30 minutes, then reduce oven

temperature to 325, turn the pie 180 degrees, and continue to bake

40 to 50 minutes, or until crumbs are golden-brown and filling is

bubbly. (You may want to ten the pie loosely with aluminum foil

during the final 15 minutes, if the crumbs are getting too browned.)

6. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.

Skillet Crust

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and

set aside.

2. In a very large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter

gently--do not brown--then stir in the vanilla. Add the dry

ingredients from the bowl and turn off heat. Using a wooden spoon,

mix the ingredients to form crumbs (they will be a bit clumpy, but

be persistent). Allow the crumbs to cool for several minutes.

3. As soon as the crumbs are cool enough to handle, transfer two

cups of them to a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan that has been

buttered. Use your hands to gently press the crumbs evenly into the

bottom and up the sides of the pan. Reserve the remaining crumbs to

top the pie.

Copyright: Adapted from Pie, by Ken Haedrich (Harvard Common Press,

2004). Copyright (c) 2004 by Ken Haedrich. Reprinted by permission

of Harvard Common Press.