Elizabeth's Pie #21

Truth be told, this pie doesn't know what it is. It's got a little bit of everything in it: strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and even a green apple.

So...you don't like apple pie? Fine, how about a berry pie. No berries? Try this rhubarb one on for size.

It's got it all.

Even a winning reputation--someone, named Elizabeth (hence the pie's name), brought home a ribbon from the Iowa state fair with this recipe, which gives it somewhat of a celebrity status and if I were the owner of this recipe, I'd give it a proper celebrity name: straspbarbappleberry...or something like that.

Fresh Strawberry Pie in a Chocolate Crumb Crust #15

This is the first strawberry pie I've made. I've always liked the idea of strawberry pies (because I love strawberries), and I've ordered it more than probably any other pie, but I only remember having it one or two times where I actually really liked it. In fact, I've had so many bad ones that it's almost turned me off from strawberry pie altogether.

I think that there are two parts that really make or break a strawberry pie for me: 1-the freshness of the strawberries, and 2-the gel/jam that keeps the strawberries together.

So, despite my past experiences with unfavorable strawberry pies, I thought I'd give it a go because we wanted to start out Spring the right way...with a little bit of fruit. (We made this on March 21. Blogger is just giving me a lot of grief the past week, sorry it's taken so long for me to post it.)

I was interested in this pie particularly because of the chocolate crust, I thought that might add a good twist, and it did. I liked the chocolate and the strawberries together. The chocolate is rich and in some way just kind of tastes like eating spoon fulls of chocolate dipped strawberries (that can't be all bad, right), but it felt like it needed something else.

Also, the strawberries were good and the gel was more like a jam, which I was very happy about (I hate eating thick gel substances). I'm not sure I loved the balsamic vinegar in the jam. It didn't take away from the strawberries, but I'm not convinced that it made it better. As far as the crème fraîche goes, I wasn't a fan...I though it tasted good alone, but in the end I wanted to eat my pie with vanilla ice cream more than with the crème fraîche. Truth be told I wanted my pie crust and strawberry filling as toppings for my vanilla ice cream not the other way around, which doesn't say much for the pie or doesn't say much about how refined my tastes are.

The reviews go something like this: Kim Gardner (my friend who was visiting from out of town) said she liked it a lot (though, I don't believe she had seconds, which is a true sign of liking something...isn't it?).

Ryan thought it was okay but wouldn't have me make it again.

I had seconds and thirds, because I loved the strawberry chocolate combination (with vanilla ice cream, of course), but it wasn't good enough that I want to make it anytime soon. However, I must say, it is definitely one of the best strawberry pies I've had though it's not the end-all of strawberry pie recipes. I still like the idea of delicious crusts and strawberries mixed together, but it makes me wonder if strawberry pies just need to be reinvented altogether.

But I think that quest will just have to wait until next spring...

Chocolate Crumb Crust
2 Cups Chocolate wafer crumbs (recipe found here)

2 cups pasteurized heavy cream

(ultra-pasteurized won’t work)

2 tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Crème Fraîche: Combine the cream and buttermilk (but not the sugar) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and place it in a warm (70F to 80F) spot, such as the top of the refrigerator. Allow it to sit, undisturbed overnight or until thickened but still pourable. Chill it and it will become the consistency of sour cream

To use, add 1 tablespoon sugar for each cup of crème fraîche needed and whisk lightly by hand. Sweeten only the portion you plan to serve immediately.

Chocolate Crumb Crust: In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, chocolate shavings, and salt (if using). Pour the butter over them. The butter will melt the chocolate into the chocolate crumbs. Stir well.

Press this mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, distributing the crumbs to form an 1/8-inch thick crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. Cool completely before adding strawberries.

Strawberry Filling: To make the glaze, put the strawberries (use any especially ugly ones here in the sauce), orange juice, and zest in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and then mash the berries with the back of a spoon. Simmer the mixture on low, uncovered, for 15 minutes more, until the sauce resembles a saucy jam.

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk in the water gradually until smooth. Add this to the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, simmering over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes until it is boiling very lightly. When the opacity goes out of the sauce, and it looks shiny and steamy, remove it from the heat and whisk in the vinegar and salt. Chill the sauce until it is cool to the touch but not cold. (The temperature is important—the fresh strawberries will release lots of juice if they contact a hot or even warm sauce, and you'll get strawberry soup, not strawberry pie. If the sauce gets overly cold, it's hard to fold in the berries.)

Clean and trim the strawberries (if they are small, leave them whole; if they are large, halve or quarter them). Fold them into the cool sauce and pour it all into the chilled crust. The consistency will be quite thick. Chill for 2 hours to let it set up before serving.

Serve the pie cold with Crème Fraîche. This pie is best the day it is made, but can still be served the next day. Keep it refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap.

Strawberry Rhubarb #6

Okay, first things first, I don't believe in eating things that are out of season.

Even if the fanciest grocery store is selling watermelon in February I don't buy it because of principle (and price and taste...but mostly principle).

This new philosophy in my life came the day I cracked open the pages of the Omnivore's Dilemma. In a way, it's really screwed things up for me by prompting me to get to the farmer's market week after week to partake of their summer harvest, and has even stretched me to love beets and any other winter vegetable I can find during January and February. Not as easy as just buying what's at the store (but tastier).

Any way, why am I telling you this?

Because I believe that food tastes better and is better for you when it's not shipped from Guatalawherever or grown in some hormone-injected fruit factory.

That's something I've been meaning to say for awhile now for many reasons, but mostly because I wanted to explain why I've been making creamy/custard/chocolate pies instead of fruit pies: It's not that they're in season, but technically, they're not out of season.

In any case, I feel like I have to push my beliefs out on the forefront of this post because of this: A Strawberry Rhubarb pie when neither are in season? What's that all about?

Here's the thing, I'm making these pies for my husband...and it was Valentine's Day...and you know what his favorite pie is?
Rhubarb pie

So when I found frozen rhubarb in the freezer section of my new supermarket, I got a little excited about a frozen fruit experiment...and it didn't hurt that it was a lovely color of red too.

And so I give you: (frozen) Strawberry (and frozen) Rhubarb pie.

Or as Ryan called it: "The Jamba Juice Pie" which, if you think about it, is appropriately named. It tangy, it's fruity, it tastes like summer, and at some point, it was frozen.

Oh, and did I mention? The experiment worked. It was delicious.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
(adapted to accommodate frozen fruit for those winter months when you need something a little different)

Filling:
3 cups frozen strawberries (slightly thawed and halved or thickly sliced)
3 cups cut rhubarb (slightly thawed)
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 tablespoon sugar, to dust top

Bubby's Butter & Shortening Crust
(8-10 Inch Double Crust)
6 Tablespoons ice cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
7 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons cold shortening

Directions
Measure out the water for the crust and chill it in the freezer while preparing the rest of the crust.

Measure out the flour (un-sifted) by leveling off dry measuring cups, and add the flour to large bowl. Add the salt to the flour and give it a quick stir to combine evenly.

Cut cold butter and cold shortening into cubes and add to flour mixture. Coat butter and shortening with flour and with a pastry cutter, cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Add cold water and use hands to form the dough into a two balls or disks. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.

When dough is chilled, Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.

Run frozen fruit under warm water to partially thaw fruit and drain all excess water. If needed, slice the rhubarb and strawberries and place in large bowl.

Cover the fruit with the sugar, flour, zest and salt. Toss lightly and be careful of mashing or breaking the fruit chunks but also separate any fruit that may still be frozen together.

Roll out 1 dough disk in to a 10-inch round and line your 9-inch pie dish with it.

Place the mixture into the pie pan. Dot the pie with the butter slices. Roll out top crust and cover pie filling with top crust, crimping the tops and bottoms so that the pie is well sealed. If not using a lattice crust cut steam vents into the pie.

Brush the top crust with milk and dust with the sugar.

Place the pie on a jelly roll to catch drippings. Bake the pie for 10 minutes or until the top crust appears dry and lightly blistered.

Reduce the cooking heat to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 50-60 minutes (or if using fresh fruit 30-40 minutes) or until the fruit mixture thickly bubbles in the middle of the pie. Pie crust should be golden and flaky.

Allow pie to cool completely before serving.