Ingredients:
1.5 lbs fresh rhubarb
1 container of fresh strawberries
3/4 cup white sugar (or 1/3 cup if you like it on the tart side)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant tapioca
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg (for glazing)
Crust:
2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Step one:
To begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Now we're going to make our crust. In a medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients and mix them with your hands! Yay! You don't want to mix it too well, though, which is why we're using our hands. The more bits and chunks of butter you have in the dough, the more air pockets will form to make the flaky crust we're wanting.
Step two:
After making the crust, divide the dough into two parts and seal both with plastic saran wrap. Put the dough into the freezer to keep cool while you cut the fruits up and mix the filling. We don't want the butter to melt.
Step three:
Cut up your fruits! I cut my rhubarb into 1/2 inch slices and my strawberries in fourths. Once they're all cut, dump them into a large mixing bowl and add sugars, lemon juice, tapioca, and salt. Do not add the margarine and egg yet!
Step four:
Get your crusts out of the freezer and roll them out into sheets that will fit your pie pan. Place one into the pan and press it firmly. Then, dump your filling into the crusted pie pan. Spread it out evenly, and dot the margarine all around the filling. Then, put your second sheet of crust on top of your pie and press it into the bottom layer of the crust to make it whole.
Step five:
Decorate your pie however you'd like. I pressed my thumb around the edges and cut 4 slits into the top, but it's totally up to you how you'd like to make it look. After your decorative touches, beat your egg and with a rubber brush, brush the egg all over the top of the pie crust. Use as much of the egg as you can! You want to be very generous with this.
Step six:
Put your pie in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After 20 minutes have passed, reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until perfectly brown. Let your pie set for at least 2 hours before serving so that a jelly-like consistency will form!
And there you have it! An amazingly perfect pie for pretty much any time of the year. :) Enjoy your dessert and all of the compliments you'll get on this one, because it's sure to impress!
- Nikki