Recipe: Deep-Dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping

I've had my suspicions about this for years but last week, after three frozen-butter-filled nights, it was finally confirmed.

Pie crust.

Is habit forming.



More addictive than heroin and cocaine combined (not that I would know in any real life experience capacity), the endorphin rush you get from successfully cutting butter into sugar and rolling it out into one flaky delicious cohesive round goes straight to the nucleus accumbens in your brain.

Hits all your pleasure/reward buttons.

And screams for more.

(I've been reading too much 50 Shades of Grey.  Obviously.)



I mean, I love making cupcakes and cakes and all the things that buttercream dreams are made of...

But there's something about seeing a pie cooling on your kitchen table.  Biting into a perfectly buttery crust.  And knowing that you did that.

It was all you.  (And your rolling pin.  And the food processor.) 

That is just so gratifying.




And that, my friends, is how you end up with a tart, a pie, and six tartlets on your table in the course of one week.

I know, right? My poor thighs.

I made this strawberry rhubarb pie first for lab meeting and then, because I loved it so so so very much, I made it again for Mother's Day.  Given how infrequently (i.e. never. almost.) I make the same thing twice, let alone twice in one week....you can tell just how delicious it was.  Do it while rhubarb is still in season.

But don't say I didn't warn you about the pie crust and its wily gateway drug ways...

And on a side note...can we give a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL to my brother whose real 23rd birthday is today??  LOVE YOU AND YOUR CRAZY FACES.  



Deep-Dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping
Serves 8, adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook

Ingredients
For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 11 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 egg, beaten to blend

For the crumb topping:

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the filling:

• 3/4 lb rhubarb, sliced 1/2-inch thick on sharp diagonal
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions
For the crust:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulsing to combine.  Add in the butter and pulse until butter is the size of peas.  Add in the vanilla and water, pulsing again just until the dough comes together, adding more water by the tbsp if necessary.  Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
2. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thick round.  Peel off the top sheet of paper.  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate.  Discard the paper.  Trim the overhang to 1/2-inch and crimp edges if desired.  Refrigerate 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350.  Line the crust with parchment paper or foil.  Fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake until the crust is set, about 15 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans.  Brush the crust with the egg glaze.  Bake until light brown, about 20 minutes.  Cool completely.

For the topping:

1. Increase oven temperature to 375.  Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse in the butter until crumbly.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until use.

For the filling:

1. Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large heavy saucepan.  Allow to macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and simmer until juices thicken, about 3 minutes.
2. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.  Cover with the topping.  Bake for 35 minutes or until topping is golden and juices are bubbling.  Cool on rack.  Serve warm or at room temp. 

Second side note - biscotti! How much do you love them?

They were a staple in my house growing up and though I've never been much of a crispy crunchy cookie gal, there's something about the way that milk/coffee/tea oozes into all of their subtly sweet nooks and crannies that makes them so delicious.  And addictive.

So when the people over at Nonni's Bicotti asked if they could send me their new biscotti bites to taste test, I said YES! OF COURSE!

They sent me three flavors - Classic Almond, Almond Dark Chocolate, and Caramel Milk Chocolate.  And though they were all delicious, I can tell you that the speed with which the caramel milk chocolates disappeared into my stomach was shameful.  In a delicious way.

What I loved most about these biscotti (besides the flavor) was how cute and little they are!  Perfect for when you just want a quick taste of something sweet but don't want to eat a whole huge cookie.



And also perfect for dunking into almond milk as your pre-bedtime snack.  Which is my favorite Biscotti Moment of the day.

Speaking of which...can we talk about the Biscotti Moment Sweepstakes?  Nonni's really loves the idea of using biscotti to take a break in your busy hectic day to just breathe and enjoy.  And they want to know what your biscotti moment is!  All you have to do to enter is upload a photo of your biscotti moment between now and June 15th and you'll be entered to win (a) a weekly prize of a Nonni's Biscotti Gift Basket and (b) a trip for two to Hollywood!  The photo below is what I'll be submitting!  Click here to enter.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nonni’s Biscotti and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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