Gute Essen

That's One Killer Pie, Buddy

Sunday, June 1, 2008 | 4 comments »

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So what if there's no top piece of crust. So what if I'm not good at making pies look good. Does your stomach care?

Who was the first person to figure out that while you could eat the stalks of the rhubarb plant, the leaves were poisonous? I mean, it would take nearly 100 pounds of rhubarb leaves to get even a decent chance of killing me. And the leaves are, apparently, quite bitter and non-that-tasty.

But when it comes to the stems? Oh man. That's a different story all together.

As many of you may know I'm not extremely partial to sweet things. I enjoy the occasional dessert; mostly ice cream when it's hot and the rare brownie or cookie, but for the most part give me something savory or don't bother. Unless we're talking pie. Pie isn't dessert. Pie is just fucking awesome. So when I walked through the farmers market yesterday and saw they had rhubarb for sale. (I know. It's a spring thing. It's already June. Whatever.) If there's one thing I love it's a straight up rhubarb pie. Not strawberry rhubarb — not that it doesn't have it's place, it's just that I prefer rhubarb straight up. (See the sweet thing above.)

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If it were legal to bathe in this in public...

Rhubarb Pie

  • 1 1/3 cups sugar (I know it seems like a lot, but trust me)
  • 2 tbls, 1 tsp all purpose flour
  • 3 tbls cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 lbs rhubarb stems, ends and tops trimmed, cut into 1/4" pieces
  • juice and zest of one good sized lemon
  • 1 pie shell bottom (I used Mark Bittman's. It was good.)

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F
  2. Mix the zest, rhubarb and sugar together
  3. Mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt together
  4. Mix the flour mixture with the rhubarb very well. If not all the dry stuff dissolves add just enough water to get it wet.
  5. Pour into pie shell and place in oven. Cook for 20 minutes
  6. Reduce heat to 350°F and let cook another 30-40 minutes until the rhubarb is very tender.
  7. LET COOL COMPLETELY before serving. If you don't it won't set right and you'll be very sad.

categories: pie dessert rhubarb

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