Last updated on September 8th, 2024
This Strawberry Rhubarb Pie has a perfect combination of sweetness from fresh picked strawberries and tanginess from the rhubarb. My vintage inspiration for this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is from a 1953 copy of “Encyclopedia of Cooking.” The book is divided into several sections for baking and cooking. The pie was featured in the “250 Superb Pies and Pastries” section.
I’ve taken this late 1950’s recipe and baked it modern:
- For the pastry I used butter with just a bit of shortening for a tender crust
- Added lemon juice to the crust
- Doubled the amount of berries and rhubarb in the filling
- Added lemon juice and the zest for extra zing in the filling
- Used ClearJel instead of flour for the thickening agent in the filling
How to make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:
Ingredients:
Thickening agents can vary:
Vintage recipes typically call for flour or cornstarch. I use ClearJel in pie filling as it works as a 1:1 substitution for cornstarch and doesn’t make the filling cloudy like flour tends to do. Since the filling will be cooked, use regular ClearJel. For fillings that are not cooked you can use Instant ClearJel.
Baker’s Tips:
Ceramic pie plates:
I bake my pies in vintage ceramic pie plates which conduct slow, even heat. You can usually find a vintage pie dish at your local antique store, however, there are several modern brands like LeCruset or Emile Henry.
How to make perfect pie crust:
To avoid a tough crust, add 1 T. lemon juice, vinegar, or vodka when making the dough to prevent excess gluten from forming. To prevent a soggy crust, dust raw crust with a thickening agent (cornstarch, tapioca starch or ClearJel). Brush the crust with an egg wash (1 egg+1 T. cream) before putting in the filling. Then brush again to the top crust with an egg wash and course sanding sugar.
Work quick to keep everything cold:
Use frozen butter and dice into small cubes and put right back into the freezer if your not making the dough right away. Chill water with some ice cubes before using. Before filling the pie crust, place in fridge to ensure the crust from shrinking. Also be sure to place the assembled pie in the fridge for about 15 minutes prior to baking, so it goes cold into a nice hot oven.
Begin baking at high heat, then reduce temp:
Start with a hot oven to keep the shape of crust and then reduce oven temperature and cover with foil or pie protector to ensure filling is cooked through but that the crust doesn’t burn. Watch to see when pie starts to bubble, then let it bake 5 more minutes.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
CRUST
- 2 c. unbleached flour
- 1-2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 12 T. butter cold & diced into cubes
- 4-5 T. ice cold water
- 1 T. vodka lemon juice or white vinegar
PIE FILLING
- 4 c. sliced strawberries
- 3 c. diced rhubarb
- 1 ¼ c. sugar
- 2 T. cornstarch OR ClearJel
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 T. lemon zest
- 2 T. diced butter
Instructions
PREP
- Zest and juice 1 lemon. Prep strawberries and rhubarb and set aside.
- Place ice cubes in glass of water and set aside. Dice up butter into small cubes and put in freezer until making the crust.
CRUST
- Place flour, sugar, and salt into food processor. Add cold butter, water, and vodka and pulse just until the dough comes together (crumbly).
- Pour out the crust onto a piece of saran wrap and shape into round disk. Cut into half. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Shape into round disk with enough to hang 1” over your pie pan. Do this process again with the other disk. Refrigerate 10-20 minutes if using right away or overnight.
- Use one disk for the bottom crust. Place in pie pan, crimp and trim edges. Dust bottom of crust with thickening agent (clear jel or tapioca) and then brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg+1 T. cream). Pierce pie shell with fork.
- For the top crust use a pastry cutter to cut into 10 (1″) strips. Place strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put back in fridge until ready to use. Use up leftover dough and cut out decorative shapes with pie cutters or mini cookie cutters and place in fridge until ready to assemble pie.
PIE FILLING
- Place rhubarb, water, sugar, ClearJel in heavy pan. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from burner and add in berries, lemon juice, lemon zest and stir until incorporated.
- Pour filling into crust, top with diced butter and place the pre-cut pastry strips into a lattice pattern on top of the filling. Brush lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with course sanding sugar. Place assembled pie in fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
BAKE
- Bake pie at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375 degrees, cover with foil placed with a pie protector over the foil and bake an additional 45-50 minutes. Watch to see when pie starts to bubble, then let it bake 5 more minutes.
Notes
Storage: Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. When freezing, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container. TO MAKE VEGAN Swap out butter with vegan butter. My favorite is Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks or use canola oil.
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Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @vintagebakedmodern on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagebakedmodern
