Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

In honor of Pi Day tomorrow, here’s a recipe for one of my favorite pies: strawberry rhubarb.
Strawberries have long been my favorite fruit; their sweetness, color and magical ability to turn any dessert into something delicious get me every time.
But I only recently discovered rhubarb. Long stalks of mouth-puckeringly tart fruit streaked green and pink, rhubarb is the epitome of spring- especially when left to mingle with strawberries.
The two fruits are combined, mixed with sugar and left to absorb the sweetness. Then, when they’re softened and juicy, they’re surrounded by a flaky pie dough and topped with a traditional lattice.
What comes out of the oven is a bubbling, fruity pie that will fill your house with an intoxicating scent, and that when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, says only one thing: spring!

Yield: one 9″ pie, serving 8-10

Why I love this recipe: enveloped in my flaky, flavorful pie crust, rhubarb and strawberries combine with nothing other than sugar and vanilla, allowing their true flavors to shine through. The rhubarb mellows and softens into silkiness, retaining a bit of its bite, and the strawberries turn cotton-candy sweet, a perfect match. 

Notes: be sure to let the pie cool for a good amount of hours (3-4, at least) in order to cut neat slices. As you can tell from the last picture, we were slightly impatient and cut in while it was still warm, which resulted in messy (yet, undeniably delicious!) slices.

For the pie crust: 

•  2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 sticks butter, one frozen, one cold
• 5-6 oz. ice water
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the pie filling:

• 4-5 stalks fresh rhubarb, diced
• 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• egg yolk mixed with water, for brushing on
• raw sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers to cut in the stick of cold butter until it is the size of peas. Then cut in the frozen butter, leaving it in bigger, visible pieces.
3. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix the water into the flour until just combined.
4. If the dough seems dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. Press the dough together, split it in half, form into discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight, or freeze for at least one hour.
5. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract. Let sit while you roll out the dough.
6. Remove your dough. Then, working gently, roll out one disk of dough into a 12″ circle on a floured surface. Trim the edges.
7. Transfer dough to pie plate. Fill it with fruit.
8. Roll out the second disk and cut into strips. Lattice it on top of the pie.
9. Crimp edges, or simply fold under. Brush with egg and water and sprinkle liberally with raw sugar.
10. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 375 and bake for another 45-50 minutes, until the top is browned and the juices have thickened and are bubbling.
11. Let cool for two hours. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.