« Dang, where have I been? | Main | »
May 27, 2009
Cindy Crawford's Pie Can Now Be Yours
Last week Rafe came home with a bundle of rhubarb. He's developed a habit of bringing home produce and expecting me to do something with it. It's very hunter-gatherish. So when he brings home something he's hunted down or purchased and carted home from Safeway, I'm usually happy to maintain my end of the bargain. I suppose traditionally, if I may recall 6th grade history here, it's men who do the hunting while women do the gathering? Regardless rather than be offended or confused by such gestures, I take them as an opportunity to hone my housewife skills. Usually the bounty brought to me is a sack of avocados and a none-too-subtle suggestion that I can make guacamole. After we received a very nice molcajete as a Christmas gift, however, I taught him my ancient family recipe so now he can make his own goddamn guacamole whenever he feels like it.
So back to the rhubarb. After googling a recipe for rhubarb pie, I came across one that Cindy Crawford supposedly makes all the time (yeah, right). I'd usually be wary of a supermodel dishing up cooking advice - but this recipe doesn't really belong to her; it's based on one that was featured in an old Saveur. I just adapted the original recipe and followed the instructions for the filling.
By the way, you can totally cheat on the crust. I read on a food blog that pie dough can smell fear, i.e. if you believe your pie will be a mess, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Although the converse- believing against all odds that your pie will turn out to be a masterpiece - won't work either.
To sum: Trader Joe's - and, hell, even Marie Callender's in a pinch-- makes a very good frozen crust- all you have to do to make it homemade is repeat after me: "why yes, I did make it from scratch!" I know this is very Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade of me. But whatevs, I'll embrace it.
I've made this pie twice in the last week. It's that good. And while the rhubarb and strawberry season is still hot, I plan on making it more. And it's a snap to throw together, except for that first time I spent hiding under the table trying not to let my homemade pie dough smell my fear. Don't be intimidated by rhubarb if you've never cooked with it before. Just don't use the green leafy part of the stalk- that'd be poisonous part!
Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie
FOR THE CRUST (or just cheat):
2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2⁄3 cup vegetable oil
6 tbsp. cold milk
FOR THE FILLING:
1 1⁄4 cups plus 2 tsp. sugar
1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
3 cups halved and hulled strawberries
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. milk
1.
Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into
a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but
don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until
dough just holds together. Divide dough in half, shape into 2 balls,
and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax
paper into 12" rounds. Transfer one pastry round (discarding wax paper)
into a 9" pie plate, and set other pastry round aside.
2.
For the filling: Mix together 1 1⁄4 cups of the sugar, flour, nutmeg,
and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, then add rhubarb and strawberries,
tossing well to coat evenly.
3. Fill bottom crust with rhubarb-strawberry mixture and scatter butter on top. Cover with remaining pastry round (discarding wax paper) and crimp edges together to seal. Score top to allow steam to escape, brush with milk, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Allow pie to cool for 1 hour before serving.
Posted by debbie at May 27, 2009 8:14 PM