Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ cup ice water
• 1.5 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1 pound fresh rhubarb, trimmed
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   In a large bowl, whisk together 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Add 1 cup of cold unsalted butter that you've cut into small cubes (keep the butter as cold as possible — if it warms, put the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes). Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This texture is exactly what you want — it creates the flaky layers in the crust.

2. 2

   Drizzle 0.5 cup ice water over the flour mixture, starting with just a few tablespoons. Toss gently with a fork, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together — it should look shaggy but hold together when you squeeze it. Do not overmix; the goal is to hydrate the flour without developing the gluten, which would make the crust tough.

3. 3

   Divide the dough in half, flatten each into a disk about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Cold dough is easier to roll and will shrink less during baking.

4. 4

   While the dough chills, prepare the fruit. Hull and cut 1.5 pounds of fresh strawberries in half — aim for pieces about 1 inch across. Trim the leafy ends off 1 pound of fresh rhubarb and cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces on a diagonal (diagonal cuts look nicer and cook more evenly).

5. 5

   Place the strawberries and rhubarb in a large bowl. Sprinkle 0.75 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt over the fruit. Gently fold everything together with a rubber spatula until the fruit is evenly coated — be careful not to crush the strawberries. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes; the fruit will release its juices and the cornstarch will begin to thicken them, creating a silky filling instead of a runny one.

6. 6

   Preheat your oven to 400°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven (the lower placement helps bake the bottom crust through before the top browns). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it on the oven rack — this catches any drips and protects the oven floor.

7. 7

   On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of chilled dough into an 11-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. A helpful trick: rotate the dough a quarter turn after every few rolls to keep it even. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish — let it drape loosely into the corners without stretching (stretched dough shrinks), leaving about 1 inch of overhang. Pour the fruit filling into the crust, discarding any excess liquid that pools at the bottom of the bowl. Dot the top of the filling with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter cut into small pieces — the butter adds richness to the filling.

8. 8

   Roll out the second dough disk into a 10-inch circle. You can place it whole over the filling, or cut it into 0.75-inch-wide strips and weave them into a lattice pattern for a more elegant look. If using a whole crust, cut 4 slits near the center for steam to escape. Trim the overhang to 1 inch all around, then tuck the edges under and crimp them with your thumb and forefinger to seal the top and bottom crusts together.

9. 9

   In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Brush this mixture over the top crust (avoid the crimped edges, which brown faster). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar evenly over the top — this creates a subtle sparkle and textural contrast.

10. 10

    Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 25–35 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden brown and you can see berry filling bubbling up through any vents or lattice openings. If the crust edges brown too quickly, loosely tent them with aluminum foil. A fully baked pie should smell fragrant and show an amber crust — this is a good sign the filling is thick enough.

11. 11

    Remove the pie from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack. Let it cool completely at room temperature for at least 4 hours — this is critical. While it cools, the filling sets enough to slice cleanly. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Tools you’ll need

• large mixing bowl
• whisk
• pastry cutter or fingertips
• fork
• plastic wrap
• rubber spatula
• 9-inch pie dish
• baking sheet
• parchment paper
• rolling pin
• small bowl
• pastry brush
• cooling rack

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