Lavender Thyme Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Pies with Almond Crumble and Fennel Crust

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 2 Homemade or Trader Joe's Pie Crust (enough for 2 9-inch crusts)
  
• 1 tablespoon pestled fennel seeds
  
• 1 egg white only
  
• Coconut Oil Spray
  

Filling and Crumble

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, diced
  
• 1 pound fresh rhubarb, diced
  
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
  
• 1 lemon, squeezed
  
• 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon culinary lavender
  
• 3/4 cup flour
  
• 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds
  
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  
• 5 tablespoons butter, chopped into cubes
  

Directions

1. Either make your homemade pie crust or if you have to buy a store bought one the best I have every had is the one from Trader Joe's in the frozen section; With a mortar and pestle, crush the fennel seeds as much as possible until they become a powder. Sift through sieve to get one tablespoon worth of the fennel seed powder; Combine the one tablespoon of fennel seed powder with the pie crust dough and knead together until evenly distributed and form into a ball. Place in fridge if too soft; Roll out the dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin until flattened; Spray your cupcake pan with coconut oil; Using a circular cookie cutter or a knife, cut out a 4 inch circle or so and press it into the cupcake pan to make sure the dough is well situated and there are no air bubbles; Repeat for each one, should make 15 with filling; Use remaining pie crust with a ravioli cutter to create a trim for the miniature pies like the one in the picture; and Brush egg white on each pie crust.
2. To create the crumble, combine the flour, dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, sliced almonds together and use pestle to break up the almonds and sugar; and Add the cubes of butter and mix it with your hands until you have a flour crumble that is well mixed. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F; To create the filling, place the butter, culinary lavender and thyme leaves in a pan large enough to hold on the remaining ingredients over medium-low heat; Once the butter is melted and the mixture begins to smoke ever so slightly, add the lemon juice and rhubarb stir together for a couple minutes; Reduce the heat to low and add the sugars, extracts and strawberries. Mix well; Lastly, add the cornstarch and remove from heat once well mixed. This is just to help with the cooking process in the oven, not to actually fully cook the ingredients. Using a medium/ small laddle, scoop mixture into each miniature pie crust. I like to scoop the rhubarb and strawberries out first and then place the remaining liquid in each to make sure it is evenly distributed; Top with the almond crumble using your hands; Bake in oven at 350 F on the middle rack for 45-60 minutes; and Let cool completely before removing from the cupcake pan.