Last weekend we celebrated Memorial Day, a favorite time of the year for me and I am sure for many of you. It is the weekend that kicks off summer and with it comes a taste of all the great things to come. America is a great country where we have our freedom, our mixing pot of cultures and memories of past generations who shaped our communities to who they are today. Often you hear the expression "as American as apple pie", but I thought I would switch it up this Memorial Day to another kind of pie that celebrates the sweetness of the summer to come.
I have never made a strawberry rhubarb pie before and actually only ate it a a few times while working at a local deli during college. However, I do have a great story about harvesting rhubarb: my Mom's parents have a very large rhubarb patch and some how had a deal with a local bakery where they sold it to them by the pound each spring. My Grandma, Mom, Aunts and cousins and I would make a day of it each spring. Right about the time it was just starting to warm up we would have a Saturday that was going to be the "rhubarb day." First, we would get it out of the garden, I always remember this part being muddy and raining for some reason. After cutting it out with kitchen knives and filling the big baskets, it was time to take to the kitchen. After it was out of the garden we had to clean it, chop it, bag it and weigh it. I still remember feeling really cool when I was considered old enough to be able to run a knife and chop instead of doing the little kid job of just washing it. We would then drive it to the bakery to sell and my Grandma always let us split the money between us grandkids.
So when I got this crazy idea in my head that I was going to make a strawberry rhubarb pie I called my Grandma because she has more recipes and cooking knowledge than Pinterest. Her idea was to use her cherry pie recipe but substitute cherries for strawberries and rhubarb. It worked and it rocked! I took it to school for a teacher snack day along with an apple pie (get that recipe here) and it was gone by 10:30, way before the apple pie!
PIE CRUST:
1 1/2 CUPS FLOUR
1/2 OIL
2 TABLESPOONS MILK
1 TABLESPOON SUGAR
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
This is the same crust recipe as the apple pie, but I posted it again to make it easier for you. :) The best thing about this pie is you put all the ingredients in your pie pan, mix them, and then pour your filling on top. Best of all, there is no pre-baking or messy clean up.
