Recipes and How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Elderflower

Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of those classics that I absolutely adore. And that's exactly why I hesitated a bit before adding elderflowers to the mix. But I'm glad to say it turned out so well, with just a hint of elderflower flavor. Perfect. This pie has a huge puddle in the bottom, but it doesn't, really. I was eager to photograph the inside and let it cool just 1 1/2 hours which is not enough to let it firm up completely. I macerate the fruit and then cook the liquids before I add them back to the pie. I highly recommend trying it to avoid a soggy pie bottom.








RECIPES STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
WITH ELDERFLOWER
yields 1 pie, 8-9 inch pan

Strawberry and rhubarb tend to release a lot of juice when baked, therefore, I macerate the fruit with sugar and flavoring so they release some of the liquid (and I tell you, it's a lot! I probably had around 2 cups). I then cook the liquid with cornstarch until it thickens. This is to avoid a soggy bottom in a double crusted pie. The fruit also shrinks a little bit when doing this, so you don't get that gap between the filling and the crust!
Feel free to add another flavoring in place of elderflower. Cinnamon or cardamom would be delicious.

Ingredients
For the pie crust
2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
250 g (2 sticks + 2 tbsp) very cold salted butter, diced
6-8 tbsp ice water

For the filling
3 3/4 cup (500 g) 1/2 inch thick sliced & trimmed rhubarb
3 1/3 cup (500 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (200 g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp real vanilla powder
pinch of salt
a handful of elderflowers, washed and stems removed

2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch

For the egg wash
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 tbsp milk

2 tbsp turbinado sugar, to sprinkle


Directions
Crust
1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the diced butter and, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still visible pieces of butter.
2. Drizzle with water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough! Pat the dough together, divide in half and flatten into two discs.
3. Wrap both pieces of dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least an hour but preferably overnight.

Filling
1. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and elderflowers in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Cover and leave in room temperature for 30 minutes. Carefully toss every now and then.
2. Put a colander or sieve on top of a large non-reactive saucepan. Pour the filling into the colander and let stand for a few minutes until all the liquids have dripped into the saucepan. Put the berries back into the bowl and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and lemon juice. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. It should thicken quite a bit but still be a little runny, make sure it doesn't turn into a paste! Leave to cool to room temperature, then add back to the berries.

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 225°C (430°F) with a baking sheet in the lower part of the oven (think of it like a pizza stone!).
2. If needed, leave the pie dough in room temp for a few minutes before rolling.
Roll out one piece of the dough into a large circle on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8 - 1/4 inch (3-5 mm) thick. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn't stick to the surface. Transfer to a 8-9 inch pie pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1 inch overhang.
3. Roll out the other piece of dough and cut into 12 long strips.
4. Spoon the filling into the prepared pan and place the strips in a lattice pattern on top (see video). Crimp the edges.
5. Put pie in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Bake
1. Mix the egg, a pinch of salt and milk in a small bowl.
2. Remove the pie from the freezer and brush it with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
3. Place the pie in the oven, on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 225°C, then lower the temperature to 175°C (350°F). Bake until the edges are golden brown and filling bubbly, about an additional 45-50 minutes. If the pie is browning too much, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let cool completely before serving with vanilla ice cream.