Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Over Memorial Day weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with my roommate's uncle in Bridgehampton.

For anyone that is not from the Northeast, The Hampton's are where you strive to be from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It has the amenities of NYC with some of the most beautiful beaches on the east coast.

Being that Uncle Dave was being so benevolent, I knew that I would have to do what I do best and bake him something special so he would know how thankful we were.

Strawberry season had just began and rhubarb season was among us, so I knew it was time to take on the old classic.

The following recipe was simple, and I substituted a gluten free crust for a classic crust. I may be biased, but I think this crust is some of the best I have ever had, gluten free or not. The six other people I enjoyed this pie with agreed. Saying this pie was a hit is a complete understatement.

Ingredients

Crust (Taken from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts):
2 1/4 Cups Brown Rice Flour Mix*
4 tbsps sweet rice flour
2 tbsps granulated sugar
1 tsps xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsps cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 large eggs
4 tsps lemon juice

* 2 Parts Brown rice flour
   2/3 Part Potato starch (not potato flour!)
   1/3 Tapioca flour



Filling:
2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
1 tablespoon Brown Rice Flour Mix
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, cubed small
Large granule sugar


Directions:


1. Preheat over to 375°F.
2. Spray 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Dust with rice flour.
3. Mix flours, sugar, xantham gum and salt with a large bowl of electric mixer. Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.
4. Add egg and lemon juice. Mix on low speed until dough holds together; it should not be sticky. Form dough into a ball, using your hands. Split dough in two. Put one half to the side. Put other half on wax paper. Top with a second sheet of wax paper and flatten and roll out to a 10 inch diameter. Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert dough into pie pan.
5. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.


Filling Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in large bowl.
3. Pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter.
4. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. If you like, after rolling out dough you can cut to form a cross hatch pattern for top of pie.
5. Garnish with large granule sugar. Collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling.  Let cool before serving.