Winning Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie

  Desserts

While being raised on a farm I often ate rhubarb, so it's natural for me to use it in a pie. I prefer to use lard for the flaky pie crust and thin, red rhubarb stalks for the filling. These two little secrets helped this recipe win top honors at the 2013 Iowa State Fair.

Winning Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie

Average Rating: 5

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 50 min. + chilling Bake: 65 min. + cooling
YIELD: 8 servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup cold lard

  • FILLING:
  • 1-1/4 cups sugar
  • 6 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
  • 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed
  • 3 cups halved fresh strawberries
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon 2% milk
  • Coarse sugar

Instructions

  • 1. In a small bowl, whisk egg, 4 tablespoons ice water and vinegar until blended. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in lard until crumbly. Gradually add egg mixture, tossing with a fork, until dough holds together when pressed. If mixture is too dry, slowly add additional ice water, a teaspoon at a time, just until mixture comes together.
  • 2. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
  • 3. Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, mix sugar and tapioca. Add rhubarb and strawberries; toss to coat evenly. Let stand 15 minutes.
  • 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry even with rim.
  • 5. Add filling; dot with butter. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Brush milk over pastry; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes.
  • 6. Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake 45-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool pie on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece (calculated without coarse sugar): 531 calories, 25g fat (11g saturated fat), 53mg cholesterol, 269mg sodium, 73g carbohydrate (35g sugars, 3g fiber), 5g protein.

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