Strawberry rhubarb pie is a popular summer dessert in the Appalachian regions of the US and in New England and is prepared by simmering fresh strawberries with rhubarb to make a thick filling which is poured into a pastry shell and baked.
Ingredients and Preparation
Strawberry rhubarb pie is prepared by simmering fresh strawberries with rhubarb stalks and sugar to form a thick mixture. Rhubarb has a very tart taste and fruits like strawberries are added to cut the tartness and add sweetness to the dish. Spices like cardamom and cinnamon may be added to the filling. A few recipes also use lavender as a flavoring ingredient. Some cooks also use tapioca flour or arrowroot flour to thicken the filing before using it in the pie. The filling is then poured into a readymade pastry crust, covered with a lattice-work pastry lid and baked.
Serving
Strawberry rhubarb pie is usually served with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.
Popular Variations
The exact strawberry rhubarb pie recipe is quite simple and it has remained essentially the same. Cooks may add flavoring agents like honey, cinnamon, lavender etc to the basic recipe to suit regional tastes. One very common variation is the strawberry rhubarb custard pie which is prepared by adding whipped eggs, milk, sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt to the strawberry rhubarb mixture. This is then baked as usually in a double crust pastry shell.
Trivia
Strawberries and rhubarb when cooked together can react with aluminum pans to impart a tart taste to the filling. As a result, cooks recommend cooking the filling in a non-aluminum or a steel pan to prevent the tart taste.
.jpg)
