It’s a Star Spangled Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!
This is my official start-of-summer pie! Perfect for Memorial Day or The 4th of July!
I love this pie so much! – so worth all the testing it took to get the recipe just right! A tender, flaky crust filled with a fresh fruit filling, not too sweet, just a little juicy with a whisper of citrus and spice.
The hardest part of making this pie is actually waiting for it to cool! Fresh strawberries and rhubarb are very juicy! (and that juiciness can vary depending on the ripeness of the fruit.) The pie needs to cool a full 3-4 hours for the filling to thicken just right.
Speaking of thickeners – there are lots of options out there for thickening your pie. Each has its pros and cons. I found this article interesting. I use corn starch (as I always have it on hand) and had to play around with the amounts to get just the right thickness for the filling.
I like my pie filling to be not completely “gelled”, but not running all over the plate – just a little trickle of thickened fruit juicy goodness!
The Crust!
Here’s my recipe for Homemade Pie Crust (makes enough for the bottom crust and the stars) and a video to show you how to make it with your KitchenAid Stand Mixer. (Can also be made by hand or with a food processor.)
If you don’t have time to make the crust – use store bought, but you may need 2 boxes (3-4 crusts) to cut out all the stars.
How to Assemble the Star Crust:
The spaces between the stars allow some of the fruit juices to evaporate, if you want to use a different style of crust, choose one with lots of venting holes, such as a lattice crust.
Perfect for Pinning to Pinterest:
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie {Star Cut-outs Crust}
Ingredients
- pie crust (double crust, for top and bottom) If using store bought, you may need 3-4 crusts to cut out all the stars
Pie Filling:
- 3 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced 1/2" thick
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, halved or quartered if large
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons coarse sparkling or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Arrange oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll out bottom pie crust to 1/8" thickness and fit in standard 9" pie plate. Crimp the edges and place in refrigerator
- In large bowl, stir together all the pie filling ingredients.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Roll out the top crust to 1/8" thickness. Cut 25 stars with 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place them on lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- Prepare egg wash: Use a fork to whisk together egg and water in small bowl.
- Add filling to bottom pie crust. Brush the edge of crust with egg wash
- Brush stars with egg wash and start placing them around the edge of the pie plate, they should overlap about a 1/4". Gently press where the stars touch the edge crust and each other.
- Sprinkle the crust and stars with sugar. Refrigerate the pie for 15 minutes to allow the crust firm up again.
- Bake the pie on a lined baking sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes more or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. If the crust starts to get too dark in any area, lightly cover that area with foil.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack for 3-4 hours or until room temperature. This is important as it allows the juices to fully thicken. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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