Strawberry rhubarb pie

I don't have any pictures to post, nor will I be writing a specific recipe here. However, I am very excited to share some recent discoveries in the world of pie baking!



First, a bit of history: A little over a year ago I developed a pie-baking obsession. The spree began after I watched the movie Waitress. Admittedly, the movie isn't anything amazing (though still worth watching for a light and relaxing evening). In it, though, the main character prepares these beautiful and creative (in terms of name and ingredient) pies! I was completely inspired. Pies provide a basic template with which I can experience and represent the seasons, as well as my mood. And thus it began.



Fast forward to today. I'm still working on perfecting my pie crust, and my pies in general. I've made some amazing discoveries with regard to pie shells, but I'll leave notes on those for another day. What I want to share with you today are my exciting strawberry rhubarb pie filling discoveries.



I have made 2 strawberry rhubarb pies thus far this season. The first one, while delicious, was a soppy mess. I'd estimate that the filling was 1 part fruit to 2 parts liquid and after slicing it resembled more of a wet cobbler than a pie. The second one was beautifully solid! I attribute the success of the second to the following steps:

1.) I prebaked the crust. Specifically, I preheated the oven to 375, placed the crust dough in the pan, placed foil and pie weights on top of the dough, and then baked for 15 minutes. After, I removed the weights, glazed the bottom and sides of the crust with a beaten egg, and sprinkled 2 tablespoons of oats on top of the glaze. I then baked for another 20 minutes.

2.) For the filling, I strained the strawberries, after slicing them, very well. Then, I mixed my filling spices, strawberries, and rhubarb with 4 tablespoons of tapioca plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and allowed this to sit for about 20 minutes. Then--and this I think is the most important step I think--I cooked the mixture on the stove top (medium high heat) for about 5 minutes. This allowed the mixture to thicken up. I removed the mixture from the stove after it resembled a loose jam.

3.) Finally, I assembled the pie (topped with streusal this time!) and baked at 350 for another 30 minutes or so, until the crust was beautifully browned.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the final product to share. We gobbled it up though, and believe me, it was tasty and, importantly, not runny!