No Soggy Bottoms Here

Pies have always intimidated me. While I have been perfecting my baking skills for the last few years, I stick to what I know and what I know I can do well – primarily cookies. For whatever reason, the thought of making a pie crust from scratch always seemed daunting. The rolling, the chilling, and the horrifying thought of Mary Berry’s worst criticism: a soggy bottom.

To make pie month even more overwhelming, for my very first pie-making experience, I chose to make my husband’s favorite pie, the pie his grandmother has made for their family for decades: strawberry rhubarb. Grandma Swanson can make this pie in her sleep, and I don’t even know how to pick out rhubarb at a grocery store. But what the hell, I went for it! And dare I say, it went mildly ok.

Here is the recipe I used (not Grandma Swanson’s):

Double-Crust Pie Dough

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus extra for counter

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces and chilled

• 8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

• ¼ cup vodka, chilled

• ¼ cup ice water

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 3 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)

• 2 and 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 Tablespoon orange juice

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk

Directions

1. Process ½ cups flour, sugar, and salt together in food process until combined. Scatter butter and shortening pieces over top and continue to process until incorporated and mixture begins to form uneven clumps with not remaining floury bits.

2. Scrape down work bowl and redistribute dough evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup flour over dough and pulse until mixture has been broken up into pieces and is evenly distributed around the bowl.

3. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Sprinkle vodka and ice water over mixture. Stir and press dough together, using stiff rubber spatula until dough sticks together.

4. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into 4 inch disks. Wrap each piece tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.

5. Roll dough on a generously floured counter, turning a quarter turn every few rolls. Roll into over a 9 inch pie plate, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to bake. (I did a lattice top for this pie, and it was not worth it! It was the most stressful part of the baking experience, and a double crust with some holes in it would have worked just as well. As you’ll see in the pictures, it was not the prettiest. Although presentation is not my strength in baking either.)

6. For the filling, stir the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the chilled pie dough.

7. Arrange the lattice or make a streusel or double crust pie with some holes cut in it to vent all the juices.

8. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg/milk mixture. Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I put a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

9. Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours before eating. This was very important! The filling was super juicy, and needed time to thicken.

Crust recipe courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen. Filling recipe courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction.