Harvard Common Press

HCP Dishes!

Recipe of the Day:

Apple Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Thursday September 10, 2009

As the temperature slowly drops whip up this Apple Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe – excerpted from Apple Pie Perfect by Ken Haedrich – to combine that last taste of summer with the first batch of fall apples. For an especially tart pie, pair the bitter rhubarb with the slightly sour tang of McIntosh apples.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

First, make the All-American Double Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup cold water

Instructions

1. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse several times to mix. Remove the lid and scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients. Pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in the butter.
2. Remove the lid and fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl. Scatter the shortening pieces over the flour and pulse the machine 6 or 7 times. Remove the lid and fluff the mixture again.
3. Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times. Remove the lid, fluff the pastry, and sprinkle on the rest of the water. Pulse the machine 5 or 6 times more, until the pastry starts to form clumps. Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs. Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large mixing bowl.
4. Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingertips. If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it in with your fingertips. Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls, as you would pack a snowball. Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust. Knead each ball once or twice, then flatten the balls into 3/4-inch-thick disks on a floured work surface. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling. About 10 minutes before rolling, transfer the pastry to the freezer to make it even firmer.

To mix by hand: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Toss well, by hand, to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients; toss. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of split peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the dry mixture; toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Pastry made by hand often needs a bit more water, so add it 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time—if it seems necessary—until the pastry can be packed. Form the pastry into balls, as instructed above, then shape and refrigerate as directed.

Makes enough pastry for one 9-inch deep-dish double-crust pie or two 9-inch deep-dish pie shells

Next, make the filling:

• 3 1/2 cups peeled rhubarb stalks cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 5 to 6 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup strawberry preserves

Glaze:

• Milk
• Sugar

Instructions

1. If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate it until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
2. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 13 1/2-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Center it, then peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry down into the pan, without stretching it, and let the edge of the pastry drape over the side of the pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. To make the filling, mix the rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. On another sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the top pastry into an 11 1/2-inch circle. Stir the apples and flour into the rhubarb mixture, then stir in the strawberry preserves. Turn the filling into the refrigerated pie shell and smooth the top with your hands. Lightly moisten the edge of the shell with a wet fingertip or pastry brush. Invert the top pastry over the filling, center it, and peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge. Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge. Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie with a fork or paring knife; put a couple of the vents near the edge of the crust, so you can check the juices there later. Brush the top of the pie with a little milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
5. Put the pie on a large, dark baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, place on the center oven rack, and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until any juices—visible at the steam vents—bubble thickly, another 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.