Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie or Crisp-- Have It Your Way!

I need to come clean with you. I'm a hoarder. I won't be featured on the A&E channel as one of those folks whose home is filled with stuff. That's definitely not my problem. I hoard recipes.

 I'm not just talking about the recipes I hoard on Pinterest. I'm talking about my own recipes.

My camera pretty much lives on my kitchen counter.  It's become so natural for me to photograph just about anything that I cook or bake.  If I don't, my husband will ask me "aren't you going to photograph it"? 

I'm pretty  good at uploading the photographs right away, then clearing out the memory card. I even create a document file, and label the photographs.  I sound so organized, right?

Then things happen.  Chores. Watching a recorded show. Surfing the internet. Fatigue.

That's when I tell myself that I'll write up the recipe post tomorrow. Then it becomes a promise to work on it that weekend.  The next thing I know, I've made several more recipes, and then I forget about the one I made last week.

This recipe is from last summer. Sad, I know. I rediscovered it, because I finally sat down to review all the recipe photos I haven' t posted.   This week, I'm on Spring Break, and I've promised myself that I am going to edit and write as many recipes posts as I can.  My strategy is that I can write a few at a time-- then press "publish" every few days.

No guarantees.  But, goals are good.  At least, that's what I keep harping on reminding my son about.

Any day, now, our local Farm Stand is going to reopen.  I'm so hoping that today is the day. This farm stand grows the most delicious organic strawberries I've ever eaten.  I'm serious. They are red all the way through. They're sweet.  They're huge!  They also cost the same as the non-organic strawberries that you find at the super market.  I find those to be a bit on the tart side. They need lots of sugar to be palatable.  Those are the ones that I don't have a problem making margaritas with cooking.  I just can't cook my beloved organically grown, naturally sweet strawberries. That would be a crime.

As an added bonus, the friendly farm stand folk happily cut fresh rhubarb for me, right before my eyes! How could I not make a strawberry-rhubarb pie? 

This particular recipe caught my eye, because the pie was topped with a brown sugar and oatmeal. 

The pie crust intrigued me, since it had cinnamon and vanilla added to it. The crust is then brushed with egg yolk and then pre-baked with pie weights (or beans).

If you make this pie crust, I would definitely use a pie crust shield or shape strips of rolled foil around the crust. Mine turned out much darker than I would like.

We're really just baking the topping, since the strawberries and rhubarb have been cooked with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

 

 I use Instant ClearJel instead of cornstarch.  Instant ClearJel tends to make my pie fillings less cloudy and helps fruit pies to become more firm.

I like that!

I'm not a pie crust lover.  I'm all about the filling. So I turned leftover filling into a fruit "crisp". Easy Peasy.

 How can I resist a crunchy, chewy topping? Can you? Yum!

TASTING NOTES:  I can't imagine eating rhubarb all by itself.  Strawberries and rhubarb are a perfect pairing. Cinnamon and Nutmeg are the perfect blend of spices.  As for the pie crust:  I couldn't really taste the cinnamon or vanilla extract.  I think I'll stick with my Perfect Pie Crust recipe and method.  The topping is the rock star here.  When fruits are at their summer peak, I've been known to mix up a batch of this topping and storing it in the refrigerator in a container.  That way, I can make a quick batch of fruit crisps.  My favorite!

The funny thing is, I forgot that I've already posted a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie from three years ago.  It's similar, except for the crumb topping. I like this version best. 

Thanks, Joanne, from "Eats Well With Others" for sharing this recipe.  You're a Rock Star! The next batch of "tart" strawberries that I buy will become a repeat performance of this recipe.

As always, a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.