Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie
Everyone seems to have a rhubarb patch here in Maine. This pie won first prize at our church fair; I hope it's a winner at your house, too!
Everyone seems to have a rhubarb patch here in Maine. This pie won first prize at our church fair; I hope it's a winner at your house, too!
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cold butter cubed
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- topping:
- 3/4 pound rhubarb rib cut into 1/2-inch pieces or sliced frozen rhubarb, (about 3 cups)
- 1 pint fresh strawberries halved
- 1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
- Carbohydrate 26.6703231305437 g
- Cholesterol 53.7950000258085 mg
- Fat 12.3112521971485 g
- Fiber 1.12914063033887 g
- Protein 2.43616343862357 g
- Saturated Fat 7.49150819367844 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (146g)
- Sodium 7163.61208275242 mg
- Sugar 25.5411825002048 g
- Trans Fat 0.974960000662178 g
- Calories 224 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, beat egg. Beat in the sugar, flour and vanilla until well blended. Gently stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Pour into pastry shell.
- For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and oats; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit.
- Bake at 400degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350degrees bake for 35 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.
Swapping frozen rhubarb for fresh alters the moisture balance significantly, releasing excess liquid that demands careful thickening during the baking process. Strawberries add natural sweetness and water content, meaning that cutting the fruit into uniform half-inch pieces ensures even evaporation as the juices cook down. Achieving optimal textural contrast relies entirely on maintaining the structural integrity of the crumb topping while the underlying fruit softens.
Managing Moisture and Crunch
Cold butter must remain solid when cut into the flour, brown sugar, and oat mixture, because melting fat too early creates a dense, greasy paste rather than a friable topping. Incorporating the cubed fat thoroughly until the mixture resembles coarse meal guarantees a crisp contrast against the tender fruit. Starting the bake at a high temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit for ten minutes sets the pastry shell quickly before reducing the heat to 350 degrees for the remaining thirty-five minutes to caramelize the sugars fully.
- Ensure the butter is thoroughly chilled before blending it into the dry ingredients to prevent premature melting.
- Allow the baked pie to cool completely on a wire rack so the fruit starches can properly set.
- Discard any watery runoff by draining thawed frozen fruit thoroughly prior to mixing.
