Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This is my favorite pie (as documented here). We had tons of rhubarb in the garden last weekend and my mom picked up some farm stand strawberries, so of course, we had to make a pie. I used the all butter crust recipe from Four and Twenty Blackbirds, but I realized part way through making the dough that we didn't have enough flour - we were short half a cup. We did have cornmeal. I subbed in cornmeal for the missing flour and it was great! It added this nice texture and extra crisp to the dough. I also subbed balsamic vinegar for the usual lemon juice which was a great, subtle difference. If there are still strawberries near you (I just snagged some this morning at the Union Square market) I suggest making this ASAP, and maybe making three.

Ingredients:

Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

3 tsp sugar

2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup cold water

4 tbsp cider vinegar

1 cup ice

Pie

1 lb fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 lb fresh strawberries, cut in half or in quarters (hulls removed)

3 tbsp corn starch

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cap full balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp butter, cut into cubes

milk

sugar

Directions:

First make the pie dough (a few hours in advance)

Sift the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the cubes of butter and toss so they are coated with flour. Using a pastry cutter (or two butter knives if you don't have a pasty cutter), quickly blend the butter into the flour so the consistency looks like sandy peas. You don't want the butter to melt or be too blended or you won't have a good, flaky crust.

Mix the water, ice, and vinegar in a measuring cup. Sprinkle 2 tbsp over the dough and mix with a spatula to incorporate. Slowly add more water 1-2 tbsp at a time until the dough just comes together. Shape it into 2 flat discs, wrap in Saran wrap, and chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 400. Roll the two circles into pie-sized rounds. Put one back in the fridge (parchment paper works well for this). Shape the other into a pie tin/plate and put in the fridge while making the filling.

For the filling...

Mix rhubarb, berries, balsamic, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a big bowl.

Pour the berry mix into the dough-covered pie tin.

Cut the remaining round into even strips and create a lattice on the top of the pie. (Here's a how to.)

Dot the pie with butter, brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Put in the oven on a tinfoil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for about 45 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let it cool if you can, and serve it with some vanilla ice cream.