Make Ahead

Deep Dish Rhubarb Strawberry Pie for a Potluck

by:
April 29, 2010
4.6
5 Ratings
Deep Dish Rhubarb Strawberry Pie for a Potluck
Photo by James Ransom
  • Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Makes one 9-inch deep dish pie
Author Notes

I'm a big fan of rhubarb. Mixed with strawberries, the tart rhubarb is perfectly offset by the sweetness of early spring berries and that rosy pink color is incredibly appealing. This is the first fresh pie of the season in our house and for that reason alone is a favorite. One technique I use for all fruit pies—learned from Christine Ferber's preserves book—is to let the fruit macerate and develop overnight before filling the pie crust. I think this makes a remarkable pie. —MrsWheelbarrow

Test Kitchen Notes

I love this pie. It's a definitely a special occasion potluck pie because there's so much waiting! The dough was easy to work with, lovely to look at, and made a nice buttery crisp complement to the sharp flavors of the fruit and its gingery spice mixture, which I loved. Macerating the fruit gives you a pie that tastes jammy and rich while still maintaining its fresh fruity integrity; I was happy that the rhubarb also had good texture, which played nicely against the softer strawberries. It smelled great while it was baking, and when it was cool enough to eat we felt sufficiently tortured (two hours!). —EmilyNunn

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • My Family's Pie Crust - Makes one crust. Double for this recipe.
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, cut in cubes and put in the freezer for an hour
  • 1/4 cup ice water
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Pie Filling for Deep Dish Pie Pan
  • 4 cups rhubarb, trimmed, peeled if necessary, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 cups strawberries, left whole if small, otherwise cut in half or quartered
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger, make sure it's very fresh
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec
  • 6 cardamom pods, seeds removed and slightly crushed
  • 1 tablespoon butter, cut up
  • 1 egg white, beaten
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten w/ 1 T water
Directions
  1. My Family's Pie Crust - Makes one crust. Double for this recipe.
  2. Using the food processor, add flour, salt, sugar, then butter. Pulse 12 times, cutting the butter into the flour. The mixture should resemble coarse meal.
  3. Add the water all at once.
  4. Allow the processor to run until the dough comes together in a ball. Form into a disk and wrap in wax paper or plastic.
  5. Repeat for second crust. Chill at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
  1. Pie Filling for Deep Dish Pie Pan
  2. In a glass or ceramic bowl, gently stir together everything except the butter, egg white, and egg yolk. Include the vanilla bean itself. Cover with parchment paper and chill overnight.
  3. Remove the vanilla bean. Stir well to make sure the cornstarch is completely incorporated.
  4. Roll out the bottom crust and place in the pie pan. Brush the crust with egg white. This forms a nice barrier between crust and filling, and keeps the bottom crust from getting soggy. Place the pan in the fridge while you roll out the other crust.
  5. Roll out the top crust. Lazy? Just use it as the topper. Feelin' fancy? Make a lattice. Many ways to do this, and I suggest YouTube for direction. Some cooks place the strips in one direction, then layer in the other direction. Some (like me!) actually weave the strips. How nutty are you?
  6. Fill the bottom crust with the filling. REMOVE THE VANILLA BEAN! Add butter in tiny pieces all over. Top with crust or lattice. If you use full crust on the top, make some vents. Pop the entire pie in the freezer for an hour or more.
  7. Preheat oven to 425° F. Place the pie in the lower third of the oven on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment to capture spills. Brush the lattice or top crust, not the edges, with egg wash (egg yolk mixed w/1 T water.) Bake for 20 minutes.
  8. Lower the oven temperature to 350° F and bake an additional 55 minutes. If the crust starts to brown too quickly, tent with foil.
  9. Allow the pie to cool completely—3 to 4 hours minimum—before serving.
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MrsWheelbarrow
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19 Reviews

Angeline C.
Angeline C. May 2, 2019
Wonderfully delicious pie. My family loved it.
 
Leslie P.
Leslie P. June 6, 2018
The crust was bland and not at all flaky. I’d recommend going with a 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening crust, adding more than the specified pinch of sugar, and cutting back on the corn starch in the filling.
 
Lawyerjen
Lawyerjen June 2, 2018
I made this today and it was great! It was very quickly devoured at a party. I used a regular pie plate, so I reduced the filling by 1/4. I forgot the egg white wash and the butter, but the pie set up perfectly, sliced beautifully, and tasted delicious!
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow June 4, 2018
Your IG photos were FAB!
 
Brenna
Brenna June 8, 2011
I love this recipe because of the parenthesis in step two. I am sold, and I am making this tomorrow.
 
mnr_t
mnr_t May 19, 2011
Mmmm, been waiting for months to make this -- lucky to have a rhubarb-hating neighbor with a good stand of it :) And ditto on the hole in the tube--thought it was for vaccum or something :D
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow May 19, 2011
Oh, for a rhubarb growing-and-hating neighbor! I planted some this year, and even though I've heard it's toxic to deer, those nasty critters managed to munch the three plants down to the ground. The leaves are coming back, and I have high hopes.
 
whataprize
whataprize April 10, 2011
I've just completed baking this pie. It sits on the counter cooling and looking so pretty! My previous Colorado yard had rhubarb growing everywhere, however I had to pay $6.99 a pound for the fruit I used in this pie! My attempts at growing in Los Angeles have not been as successful. Nothing says springtime like a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie! Thanks for the plunger info.
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow May 19, 2011
Just saw your comment. Two weeks ago rhubarb was $5.99/lb, but this week it's less than half that at $2.75. Phew! Pie's on the counter now and I can't wait to eat it.
 
mindbnder
mindbnder May 20, 2010
I made this yesterday and it was spectacular. I didn't have the triple sec but it worked out just fine without it. Garden Fresh Rhubarb is a special kind of delicious.
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow May 20, 2010
really glad you enjoyed it! I think I need one more pie before rhubarb season ends.
 
MonkeyBusiness
MonkeyBusiness May 8, 2010
I just made this pie today...in the oven as we speak and smelling amazing. I had a question, however. After letting the fruit macerate overnight, I had a lot of liquid...more than I thought the pie needed. I added most of it, but did leave some out for fear of a soggy crust or less than firm filling. Any suggestions?
Also, thank you for a generous crust recipe...I so hate it when I make the recipe as directed and end up with a skimpy crust. I'll post later as to taste,but I already know it is going to be good, as I sampled the filling!
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow May 8, 2010
I left some of the liquid behind, as well. It's a pretty juicy pie, even leaving some of the fruit juices out, so make sure the filling is really bubbling before you declare the pie done. The liquid needs to come to a boil for the cornstarch to do its work. Glad you like the pie crust. My grandmother and mother used this crust for every pie. I just read Spoon Fed - she had Marion Cunningham's crust recipe and it's quite close (1-1/4 c flour rather than the 1-1/3c here.) I'm sure that's where my family must have gotten this one.
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow April 29, 2010
Oh, by the way, drizzling through the plunger thingy also works perfectly for mayonnaise.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian April 29, 2010
This looks great - saving this to my recipes to make! And I love your macerating technique too. And add me to the list of people who hadn't figured out what the hole in the plunger thingy was for. Brilliant!
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow April 29, 2010
OK - that's three of us. I feel much better. Please let me know how your pie comes out!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames April 29, 2010
Just putting sugar on soft fruit will set it, i.e., will cause it to keep its shape. This also works for rhubarb. Sometimes you want that, other times you don't, when making preserves. It's not just a flavor thing . . . it's a chemical reaction that affects the consistency of the cooked fruit. (IPutting sugar on it also draws out the liquid, which is very helpful for learning early in the process how much liquid the fruit or rhubarb will actually produce. It also allows you to cook the fruit for a shorter period of time, because you can heat the syrup first, then add the fruit.) I weave the strips, by the way. I can't imagine doing it any other way!
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin April 29, 2010
Love it! The macerating technique is brilliant. Brimming with insightful information, Mrs. W is. Always wondered what the hole in the thingy was for. Keep the nuttiness coming, please.
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow April 29, 2010
MrsLarkin, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who didn't know what that hole in the plunger thingy was for. Thanks for the nice comments!