Pie Crust:
In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process
until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse
meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a slow, steady stream,
through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If
necessary, add more water. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Divide the dough in half, flattening
each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for
about one hour (or
until firm). After the dough has chilled sufficiently,
remove one portion of the dough from the fridge and
place it on a lightly floured surface.
Roll the pastry into a
12 inch (30 cm) circle. (To prevent the
pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep
lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from
the center of the pastry outwards).) Fold
the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9 inch (23 cm)
pie pan. Brush off any excess flour and trim any overhanging
pastry to an edge of 1/2 inch (1.5 cm). Refrigerate the pastry while you make the filling.
Remove the second round of
pastry and roll it into a 13 inch (30 cm) circle. Using a pastry wheel or pizza
cutter, cut the pastry into 3/4 inch (2 cm) strips. Place
the strips of pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic
wrap, and place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
Make the Strawberry Rhubarb
Filling: Place the
cut strawberries and rhubarb in a large bowl. In a
small bowl mix together the cornstarch, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Remove the
chilled pie crust from the fridge.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture over the bottom of
the pastry crust. Add the remaining sugar mixture to the strawberries
and rhubarb and gently toss to combine.
Pour the fruit mixture
into the prepared pie shell. Sprinkle the fruit with about lemon juice
and dot with
butter.
Remove
the lattice pastry from the refrigerator and, starting at the center
with the longest strips and working outwards, place half the strips,
spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm)
apart, on top of the filling. (Use the shortest strips at the outer edges.) Then,
gently fold back halfway, every other strip of pastry. Take
another strip of pastry and place it perpendicular on top of the first
strips of pastry. Unfold the bottom strips of pastry and then fold
back the strips that weren't folded back the first time. Lay another
strip of pastry perpendicular on top of the filling and then continue
with the remaining strips. Trim
the edges of the pastry strips, leaving a 1 inch (2.5 cm) overhang. Seal the
edges of the pastry strips by folding them under the bottom pastry
crust and flute the edges of the pastry. Brush the lattice pastry with
milk and sprinkle with a little sugar. Cover and place in the
refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 400
degrees F (205 degrees C)
and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Put a baking
sheet, lined with aluminum foil, on the oven rack (to catch any spills.)
Place the pie
plate on the hot baking sheet and bake the pie for
about 35 minutes and then, if the edges of the pie are browning too
much, cover with a foil ring. Continue to bake the pie for
about another 10 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown color and the
fruit juices begin to bubble. Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack
to cool for several hours. Serve at room temperature with softly
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be stored in
the refrigerator for about
3 days. Reheat before serving. This pie can be
frozen.
Makes one 9 inch (23 cm) pie. |