Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

May 21, 2012 30 Comments

With all of this awesome rhubarb-ness going on at the farmers market I have already made TWO strawberry rhubarb pies this month. The one you see here, and another one with a crumble topping that I will post about later. My tummy is happy.

Fresh pie just screams summer to me. I love it, and find myself looking for excuses to make it.

Friend: “Oh hey Katrina, wanna go out for coffee tomorrow.”

Me: “Sure, that will probably require me to bake a pie.”

Strawberry rhubarb pie is my boyfriend’s absolute favorite pie. He’ll beg for it. He will go out of his way to find rhubarb, bring it home, place it in the frige, and mention nonchalantly “there’s rhubarb in the fridge if you’d like to bake something with it”.

Lucky for him I DO!

Although I loooove this pie, I personally prefer plain ol’ rhubarb pie, but if you’re like my man this pie is for you!!

To begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured counter, roll half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.

Stir together rhubarb and strawberries….

…and juice that pretty lemon.

Stir together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon, salt and tapioca in a large bowl.

Mound filling inside bottom pie crust and dot with bits of unsalted butter.

Roll second half of pie dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer it to center over the pie filling. Trim top and bottom pie dough so that their overhang beyond the pie plate lip is only 1/2-inch. Tuck rim of dough underneath itself and crimp it decoratively.

Brush egg yolk mixture over dough and cut slits into your pie.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the juices bubble visibly.

Transfer pie to wire rack to cool. When fully cooled (several hours later) the juices will gel.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Recipe taken from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 9-inch round pie

Ingredients:
1 recipe for double-crust pie dough (I always use the Pioneer Woman’s recipe)
3 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds, untrimmed) rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices
3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) strawberries, hulled and sliced if big, halved if tiny
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured counter, roll half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.

Stir together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon, salt and tapioca in a large bowl. Mound filling inside bottom pie crust and dot with bits of unsalted butter. Roll second half of pie dough into an 11-inch circle and cut decorative slits in it. Transfer it to center over the pie filling. Trim top and bottom pie dough so that their overhang beyond the pie plate lip is only 1/2-inch. Tuck rim of dough underneath itself and crimp it decoratively.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet and brush egg yolk mixture over dough. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the juices bubble visibly.

Transfer pie to wire rack to cool. When fully cooled (several hours later) the juices will gel.

Note: Pie should keep for up to three days at room temperature.

Filed Under: Pies/Tarts Tagged With: ,

Rhubarb Muffins with Crumble Topping

March 17, 2012 26 Comments

When it comes to fruit muffins, I need a crumble topping. There’s something about the combination of melted butter, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon that makes me swoon. This topping alone will have you picking away at the muffins as they cool…trust me. It’s hard waiting!

I have quite a bit of rhubarb left over from last June still in my freezer, so recently I have been getting busy trying to use it up before this coming June gets here! There can never really be too much rhubarb though. It can be made into so many delicious things like cake, pie, spreads for toast, and other muffins. I adore baking with it, and you will too!

Tp begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, combine brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat together well.

Add in rhubarb and stir. I used frozen rhubarb from last year.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Stir into the wet ingredients.

I love a good, thick, batter.

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.

Mix together melted butter, sugar, oats, flour, and cinnamon. Press lightly on top of muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack until the muffins have cooled completely.

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Muffins
Makes 18 muffins
A Warm Vanilla Sugar Original

Ingredients
Muffin Batter:
1-½ cup Brown Sugar
½ cups Vegetable oil
1 whole Egg
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Buttermilk
2 cups Chopped Rhubarb
2-½ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat together well. Add in rhubarb and stir.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Stir into the wet ingredients.

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.

Mix together melted butter, sugar, oats, flour, and cinnamon. Press lightly on top of muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack until the muffins have cooled completely.

Enjoy!

Note: If you do not have buttermilk, combine 1 tablespoon of vinegar and milk to make 1 cup. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, stir and add to recipe.

Also, don’t forget to enter my Giveaway! Winners for the kitchen scale will be picked next Tuesday, March 19th and announced Wednesday.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Muffins, Vegetarian Tagged With: ,

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

December 4, 2011 22 Comments

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).

Filed Under: Favorites, Pies/Tarts Tagged With:

Lemony Raspberry and Rhubarb Muffins

July 10, 2011 20 Comments

With all this sunshine, I’m really feeling the need to eat something fresh.

Sure, it’s hot outside, and my oven makes me a sweaty mess, but if I want something fresh in baked good form I need to bake! So, I chopped up some rhubarb.

Then I grabbed a bunch of lemons.

And then I made these:

Yummy, fresh lemons tossed with raspberries and rhubarb in muffin form. I like these because they are light in your mouth and have a burst of tartness with the raspberries. They are sweet and low calorie too! My kind of muffin.

Now I have muffins for the week! Thank goodness.

To begin, place the flour, 2/3 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir thoroughly.

In a medium fry-pan, melt the butter with the lemon zest.

Turn off the heat. Add the milk and yoghurt and let the mixture stand for a minute or two. Pour the milk into a medium bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the milk mixture into the well and stir well with a spatula. Mix only until there are no streaks and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few lumps scattered throughout are fine.

Gently fold through the raspberries and the rhubarb.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg and sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean.

Transfer the muffin tin to a rack a let cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove the muffins from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemony Raspberry and Rhubarb Muffins
Recipe adapted from Kitsch in the Kitchen
makes 9-12 standard muffins
181 calories for one muffin of 12

Ingredients:
285g (2 cups) unbleached plain flour
135g (2/3 cup) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
85g (3 ounces) butter
Finely grated lemon zest
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
65ml (1/4 cup) yoghurt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup finely chopped rhubarb

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F and position an oven rack in the centre. Place 12 muffin papers in a muffin tin, or 9 self-standing papers on a baking tray.

Place the flour, 2/3 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir thoroughly.

In a medium fry-pan, melt the butter with the lemon zest. Turn off the heat. Add the milk and yoghurt and let the mixture stand for a minute or two. Pour the milk into a medium bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the milk mixture into the well and stir well with a spatula. Mix only until there are no streaks and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few lumps scattered throughout are fine. Gently fold through the raspberries and the rhubarb.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg and sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack a let cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove the muffins from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Muffins Tagged With: , ,

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

April 24, 2011 16 Comments

Here in Switzerland, everything is about 3 weeks early. It. Is. Summer. * Squeal*

Along with the early summer comes a variety of early garden favorites like beautiful crispy lettuce and my long lost baking buddy, rhubarb. Rhubarb and me go way back. I liked to pick the mysterious sour stalks of pink and green as a little girl and dip them in sugar with my “Poppa”. When we had picked too much my Nanny would cook it, and make an awesome stewed rhubarb that was great on morning toast or ice cream. I wanted to try something new with rhubarb though, so I went out and got a stalk from the garden, and decided to make a strawberry rhubarb cake of sorts.

I like this cake because it’s sliceable and still has that “crumble” feel that I’m so fond of. I love how each bite has a beautiful combination of cinnamon-sugar and sweet and tangy strawberry-rhubarb. The crumble topping really puts this recipe over the top. It’s gorgeously matched and gives this moist cake a nice light crunch.

To begin, preheat your oven, grease and flour your pan, and grab a medium bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a large mixing bowl, beat together 6 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 1 minute.

Throw in your egg yolks and vanilla. Here I’m just separating the whites from the yolks and putting the whites into a bowl for breakfast tomorrow :)

Beat until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk until combined, about 1-2 minutes.

Spread cake batter evenly into prepared pan.

Top batter with strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and 4 tablespoons butter; knead together using fingertips or a fork until well combined and mixture starts to clump together. Keep in freezer until ready for use. When cake has baked 20 minutes, top evenly with crumb mixture. Continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Cool for 30 minutes before running a knife around outside edges. Remove cake from pan and cool on a rack.

This is delightful. I had a huge slice!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake
Recipe taken from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup sliced strawberries
2/3 cup finely chopped rhubarb

Crumb Topping
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 1 (9-inch) round cake pan or an 8 x 8 inch square pan (I used this).
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together 6 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 1 minute; beat in yolks and vanilla until combined.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Spread cake batter evenly into prepared pan. Top batter with strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and 4 tablespoons butter; knead together using fingertips or a fork until well combined and mixture starts to clump together. Keep in freezer until ready for use.
7. When cake has baked 20 minutes, top evenly with crumb mixture. Continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool for 30 minutes before running a knife around outside edges. Remove cake from pan and cool on a rack.

*Photos taken mostly by Alicia Leroux (thanks Alicia)!

Filed Under: Cakes/Cupcakes Tagged With: ,

Tangy Stewed Rhubarb

May 25, 2010 10 Comments

She’s here! And thank goodness she is. Welcome back rhu-BARB! Doesn’t she look great?!

Rhubarb season is one of my absolute favorites. Rhubarb brings out a sassy, tangy, flavour in baking that makes my mouth water. Luckily, rhubarb is super healthy, and low calorie as well (even though I like to dip it raw in sugar). I love the way my mouth puckers up after a big bite of a raw stalk. It’s saying “GOOD MORNING”!

Let’s get started, shall we? Begin by washing your rhubarb. Chop up the rhubarb into one-inch pieces and place into a large saucepan.

Add sugar, water, vanilla and lemon juice.

Cook over medium heat until the rhubarb is completely cooked, and blends together. You don’t want any hard chunks!

You can serve this on toast. It’s so yummy!

This recipe makes 8 servings, and is 2 weight watchers points per serving (1 serving = 1/4 cup).

Ingredients:
6 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
1. Rinse, and chop rhubarb into one-inch chunks and place into a large saucepan.
2. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium heat until rhubarb has completely cooked and turned into a “stew”. You don’t want any hard chunks. This should take about 20 minutes.
3. Allow to cool completely and serve with toast (if having it for breakfast), over ice cream (if having it for dessert), or eat it plain!
4. This stores in the fridge for up to one week.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Jams/Spreads, Snacks Tagged With: , , ,
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