Recipe of the Day:
3.14 is National Pi Day!
Posted by Emily
Monday March 14, 2011Were you one of those lucky middle school kids who got to celebrate March 14th with a homemade apple or strawberry pie baked by your math teacher in honor of the mathematical constant? Celebrate National Pi Day today with one of your own—and we won’t even make you recite the digits first!
Recipe adapted from Pie by Ken Haedrich (Harvard Common Press, 2004)
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie
Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
-1 refrigerated pie crust, homemade or store bought
Filling
-3 cups fresh rhubarb stalks sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-Grated zest of 1 lemon
-4 cups hulled and halved (quartered if large) fresh strawberries
-1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
Cornmeal Crumb Topping
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
-2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Directions:
1. If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
2. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 91/2-inch deep-dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3. Combine the rhubarb, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Toss well to mix, then set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Add the strawberries and tapioca to the bowl and toss well. Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with your hands. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Empty the crumbs into a medium-size bowl and rub between your fingers to make large, buttery crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375°F. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie, spreading them evenly over the surface with your hands. Tamp them down gently. Return the pie to the oven, placing it so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil–lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills. Continue to bake until the juices bubble thickly around the edge, 30 to 40 minutes. If necessary, cover with loosely tented aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes to prevent the top from getting too dark.
7. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Recipe for Success: When you’re shopping for rhubarb, buy solid, crisp, bright red stalks. If the stalks seem too wide, halve them lengthwise before slicing them crosswise to make the filling. Toss the leaves, if they happen to be attached. They’ll make you sick if you eat them.
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