Celebratory Rhubarb Pie (and How to Make a Lattice Crust)

Almost 3 ½ years ago I went on an Alpine Ecology field course and met a boy. It was a course for students from Ontario Universities and was a great opportunity for Biology students to get together and explore their field of study. We leaned about different species of alpine flowers, plants, trees, insects, birds, and mammals. We sang songs to scare away bears, we played volleyball every night, and there were so many amazing people there – including this boy I just mentioned.

Now, I am not a flirty girl, so when this boy started hanging around me a lot I gave him no clues as to what I was thinking. I liked him, but I wasn’t going to tell him that! Geeze. That would be too easy.

The course was two weeks and this boy and I became extremely close. We just clicked. He wasn’t like other boys I’d dated and looking back I think I knew we’d be together even then. Anyway, by the end of the course the boy and I went our separate ways. Both to separate cities and to separate lives. We kept in touch though. Either by e-mail, Facebook messages, or by phone. After having amazing chemistry how couldn’t we? After a month of being apart I decided to visit him. And a week later he visited me. And from there we just kept visiting each other. Needless to say we fell in love. I found my best friend, and here we are three years later with an apartment to call our own, a baby kitty, and pure, unfiltered happiness.

So, there’s a love story for you. An introduction to the boy in Warm Vanilla Sugar’s life. This boy is the tester of all of my recipes, my favorite person on the planet, and the reason I made this pie.

Did I mention this boy is smart? Ya. Like, mega. He just handed in his Masters Thesis after 2 ½ years of hard work. I couldn’t be more proud of him. And so, I made this pie. My boy’s favorite dessert. Enjoy!

Roll out dough for bottom crust and line pie plate with pastry.

Beat eggs lightly, and then beat in brown and white sugars. Add flour, lemon juice, salt and extract.

Mix in rhubarb.

Pour rhubarb mixture in to pie shell.

Now, here’s where you have a choice. You can either roll out your remaining pastry and place it on top of the pie as is, cutting a slit in the middle OR you can make a lattice crust. If you just want a simple pie crust, you’re finished here! You can just skip this lattice stuff and move to the baking directions.

How to make a lattice crust:
Roll out the other half of your pie dough. Cut the dough into even strips, 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch wide, depending on how thick you want your lattice strips. You can use a blunt knife or you can use a pizza wheel or a pastry wheel if you have one. I used a pizza wheel.

Lattice Crust Assembly

Lay out about 5 parallel strips of the pie dough, depending on how thick your strips are, on top of the filling, with about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch space between them. Fold back every other strip.

Place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel strips as shown. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip.

Now take the parallel strips that are running underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip, as shown. Lay down a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first strip, with some space between the strips. Unfold the folded parallel strips over the second strip.

Continue this process until the weave is complete over the top of the pie.

Trim the edges of the strips and push them together with the dough of the underlying pie dish, which should be about half an inch over the sides. Fold back the rim of the shell over the edge of the lattice strips, and crimp to secure.

Sprinkle top of pie with remaining sugar and bake in a 450°F oven on bottom shelf for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and move pie to middle of the oven. Continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes.

Once pie is baked, cool on a wire rack until ready to serve.

Rhubarb Pie
Makes 1 pie
Recipe adapted from Thibeault’s Table

Ingredients:
4 cups rhubarb, cut in to 1/2 inch pieces
2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pastry for 2 pie crusts.
1/2 tablespoon sugar

Directions
1. Roll out dough for bottom crust and line pie plate with pastry.

2. Beat eggs lightly, and then beat in brown and white sugars. Add flour, lemon juice, salt and extract. Mix in rhubarb.

3. Pour rhubarb mixture in to pie shell.

4. Now, here’s where you have a choice. You can either roll out your remaining pastry and place it on top of the pie as it, cutting a slit in the middle OR you can make a lattice crust. If you just want a simple pie crust, you’re finished with this step! Now, head to step 5.

For Lattice crust:
a) Roll out your other half of your pie dough

b) Cut the dough into even strips, 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch wide, depending on how thick you want your lattice strips. You can use a blunt knife with or without a ruler or straight edge to guide you, or you can use a pizza wheel or a pastry wheel if you have one. I used a pizza wheel.

c) Lay out about 5 parallel strips of the pie dough, depending on how thick your strips are, on top of the filling, with about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch space between them. Fold back every other strip.

d) Place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel strips as shown. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip.

e) Now take the parallel strips that are running underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip, as shown. Lay down a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first strip, with some space between the strips. Unfold the folded parallel strips over the second strip.

f) Continue this process until the weave is complete over the top of the pie.

g) Trim the edges of the strips and push them together with the dough of the underlying pie dish, which should be about half an inch over the sides. Fold back the rim of the shell over the edge of the lattice strips, and crimp to secure.

5. Sprinkle top of pie with remaining sugar.

6. Bake in a 450°F oven on bottom shelf for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and move pie to middle of the oven. Continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes.

7. Once pie is baked cool on a wire rack until ready to serve. This pie is great with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (my favorite).