Berry Good-Bye

I made this pie for the farewell party my knitting group is throwing in my honor. Sweet endings are always the easiest. Madison knitters, I will miss you.

Strawberry Pie with a Hint of Rhubarb (filling for 10" pie)
1.5 c. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2" thick slices
32 oz. strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered depending on size
1/2 c. brown sugar, heaped
1/2 c. white sugar
4 T. arrowroot starch
1 t. ground cinnamon (I used Penzey's)

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Line your 10" pie dish with the bottom crust. Pour and heap filling mix into crust. Set upper crust on top. Trim edges and seal (I use a fork to crimp the edges). Cut a vent into the top crust. Bake at 400 F for 20 min, then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 40-45 min. When magenta goo erupts from the crust vent (or other cracks in the crust), the pie is generally done. Serve warm.

Current Pie Tally: 57

Grill Party Pie

Some wonderful new neighbors just moved in downstairs, so my husband organized an impromptu grill party for yesterday night. As always, I was in charge of the pie. I made the first strawberry-rhubarb of the year. Sadly though, I did not have enough garden output for the ingredients and had to use store-bought. The resulting pie was perfect - flaky, buttery crust and a flavorful filling you could really sink your fork into. The best pies are often made under a little bit of pressure - deadline looming, naptime drawing to a close, and with a bunch of new faces as taste-testers.

Strawberry Rhubarb Grill Party Pie (filling for 9" pie)
1.5 lbs. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2" thick slices
16 oz. strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered depending on size
1 T. brown sugar, heaped
3/4 c. white sugar
4 T. arrowroot starch
1 t. ground cinnamon (I used Penzey's)

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Line your 9" pie dish with the bottom crust. Pour and heap filling mix into crust. Set upper crust on top. Trim edges and seal (I use a fork to crimp the edges). Cut a vent into the top crust. Bake at 400 F for 20 min, then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 35-40 min. When magenta goo erupts from the crust vent (or other cracks in the crust), the pie is generally done. Serve warm.

Current Pie Tally: 56

Hot Mess

I made two pies this past weekend for parents and picnics. One was Cherry-Apple-Rhubarb and the other was Rhubarb-Peach. Both were hot messes. It was very touch-and-go handling the crust in the 90-or-so heat we've been having. I had to invoke a couple hobo patch jobs, which resulted in some pie goo leaks. But I'm not complaining. I'm glad it's finally warm. Let me know if you want the specific recipe for the pies. The heat has sent me into a state of summer lethargy.

Current Pie Tally: 55