I've never had
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie before. I have both strawberries and rhubarb in the freezer. I know I love to eat a stalk of fresh rhubarb, but I really dig sour stuff. I figured why not? I decided to give it whirl. Click on the link to view the recipe that I used.
I have to say that I loved the flavor of this, but I had issues. I used a pre-made pie crust because I was able to pick them up at Grocery Outlet for 99 cents. What a bargain...right? Wrong! Here is the thing with pre-made pie crusts: if they are too old, when you unroll them into your pie plate, they crack, they rip, they break...they piss you off to no end. Bob finally stepped in, got out the rolling pin and fixed the bottom. I was ready to throw the whole mess into the garbage and make it into a crumble. Anyhow, Bob saved the day on that one. I also had another issue with this recipe. The recipe says to mix 1/4 cup of cornstarch in with the sugar. 1/4 cup of cornstarch should bind anything, right? Well, it doesn't. My cornstarch is not old, either. I'm starting to think that I just cannot make a pie out of any frozen fruit!! It happens to me every single stinking time! I get something that looks pretty decent when I pull it out of the oven and it tastes great, but it's all juice and the bottom crust of my pie gets all soggy. I'm over it! I'm putting pies on the back burner until I get some fresh fruit to work with...it doesn't happen to me like this when I work with fresh ingredients. The big mystery.
But, if someone wants to give me any pie making tips using frozen fruit...I'm all ears! I have to say that I really did enjoy the flavor. I'm a rhubarb fan!
I've been taking a Facebook break for the last couple of days. I just needed to. I needed to slow down from the 10,000 projects that I have going at one time and just take some time for myself. I started crocheting this afghan back in 2009...before I started blogging. I had forgotten all about it. We found it in the closet of the old trailer when we moved over here. I've gone back to work on it.
I've sat and watched TV: Ina Garten, Giada, Guy on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and the David guy who does the Italian show on the Cooking Channel. Bob rolled my yarn up into balls for me and I've been working on my afghan. I'm leaving the whole frozen fruit-pie thing alone because it's irritating. PEACE!
Frozen fruit never works for me either in pies unless the recipe specifically calls for it. I have better luck using frozen fruit in crumbles and crisps and sauces and such. Something with the moisture content just gets off - not sure if it's just the ice that forms on it or if the moisture gets pushed to the outside or what, but it just doesn't do what I expect in pies! Anyway, I have had some success using frozen fruit in pies when I've been in a bind IF I let it thaw and drain first. At any rate, I am glad you liked the flavor profile! :) It's one of our families' faves, and you so should try making Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam sometime! Tastes a lot like the filling in the pie! YUM! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely trying the strawberry-rhubarb jam, Julie. I'm not a huge fan of plain strawberry jam, but with the addition of rhubarb, I think it will be delicious! I grow rhubarb every year in a container...I usually just eat it...this year, however, I'm turning it into jam.
DeleteI bet you'll love it! :) If not, you can send it to me! :D I'm hoping to get some rhubarb from a neighbor who has tons of it every year. She gave me a huge bag full last year when she found out hubby loves the stuff...We'll see if she'll do the same this year! :)
DeleteI haven't had strawberry rhubarb pie since I was a little girl. My mother would get the rhubarb from our neighbor who also grew the asparagus that I wrote about. We didn't freeze anything back then but I would have to think that there would be a lot of liquid when the rhubarb thawed out which was probably the problem. Enjoy your vacation!
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly why I looked for a specific recipe that used the frozen fruit. Back to the drawing board, I suppose. :/
DeleteFrozen fruit doesn't work for me either! I doubt if I'll be making a pie this year - being on a diet and all. LOVE pies. Love that flaky crust. Oh my!
ReplyDeleteI think my guys would want to strangle me if I stopped making them pies!!! Ok...I like them, too ;)
DeleteI make fruit pies all the time using minute tapioca. Apple, cherry, blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb, you name it.
ReplyDeleteI think there are two things worth noting though.
First, your fruit, sugar and tapioca need to sit about 10- 15 minutes before you put it into a pie shell. That helps the sugar and the tapioca break down a little. Now, if your fruit is not overly juicy, like raspberries, I squeeze a little juice on them (roughly two teaspoons). In this case a little bit of fresh lemon juice (I do this for blueberries also).
It is not necessary that the tapioca break down at this point. All you want the tapioca to do is soften a little. I also want the sugar to start dissolving. It helps a lot if the fruit is room temperature and not cold from the fridge.
When cooking the pie, it is important to bake it at a hot temperature, around 425 degrees. You want the filling to get hot and bubbly. This will take care of the second part of the tapioca thickening process.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
Crust for 2 crust pie
4 c. cut rhubarb
1 tbsp. quick cooking tapioca
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. flour
1 pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed
Prepare rhubarb and cut in 1 inch pieces for pie. Place in bowl and add sugar and flour and toss lightly; let set for 10 minutes. Sprinkle tapioca over bottom crust and add rhubarb. Add frozen strawberries spreading evenly over rhubarb mixture. Dot opening in top. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 20 or 25 minutes until golden brown.
You are awesome for the tips...you don't even know how much I appreciate it!! Thanks so much!
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