How to Make Old-Fashioned Homemade Rhubarb Pie -- Easy, Simple Recipe

This simple rhubarb pie features a buttery, flaky crust and the tart and tangy flavor of the pinkish-purple stalk.

A crisp stalk resembling celery, rhubarb is known for its characteristic taste as well as its pinkish-purple color and is often used as a pie filling. Tart and bitter, the stalk is sweetened with sugar to produce a bittersweet treat ideal for the summer months. Using simple household ingredients and relatively few steps, this old-fashioned rhubarb pie is very easy to make and features a buttery, flaky crust to balance the sweet yet sour taste that has come to make the rhubarb pie a family favorite.

Things You'll Need

• Crust:
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter, cut into squares
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 6 to 8 tbsp. ice water
• Food processor
• 9-inch pie plate
• Plastic wrap
• Rolling pin
• Scissors or kitchen knife
• Fork
• Filling:
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinammon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 tbsp. stick butter, cut into squares
• 4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Large saucepot

Instructions

Preparing the Crust

1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter a square at a time.

2. Add the water to the mixture a tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to clump together.

3. Remove the dough from the processor. Knead the dough into 2 disks of equal size. You should see small clumps of butter in the dough. This will give the crust a buttery flavor as well as a flaky texture. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

4. Remove the disks from the refrigerator and let them sit for up to 10 minutes before rolling out the dough for your pie. Sprinkle flour onto your surface to prevent the dough from sticking and, using the rolling pin, roll out the two disks into two 12-inch circles.

5. Place one of the circles of dough into the pie plate, pressing the dough down so that it lines the plate. Trim the edges to within ½ inch of the plate using the scissors or a kitchen knife. Fill with the rhubarb mixture.

6. Set the second disk on top of the filled pie. Using the fork, crimp around the top layer of crust to adhere the layers together. Use the fork to cut an "X" into the top of the pie to vent.

Preparing the Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large saucepot and allow the mixture to come to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat to a simmer once the mixture has come to a boil and stir slowly for about three minutes, until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture begins to congeal.

3. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before pouring the mixture into the prepared crust.

4. Affix the top layer of crust as described above and dot the top of the pie with the squares of butter. Place the pie into the prepared oven for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

References

• "Great Old-Fashioned american Recipes"; Beatrice Ojakangas; 2005