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Sunday, June 12, 2011

PPB: Cherry Rhubarb Lattice Pie


























I've never made a pie with rhubarb before. I think I've had it and it was pretty good, but it was so long ago that I don't remember.

Whenever I make pie, I usually make apple pie.

This weekend, I thought I should make something different.

Since I am in love with Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cream Cheese Pie Crust, I want to make a pie that use this pie crust.

So I leafed through the book.

Technically, I can make any pie with this crust, I think. But I was curious to find out what comes with the pie crust.

I found 2 interesting ones.

Cherry Rhubarb and Strawberry Rhubarb.

Which one?

Undecided, I thought "let's see what's available at the store..."

I got to the store and found both cherries and strawberries.

I picked cherries.

They looked fresher, while the strawberries looked too ripe.

Now let's get baking!

First, make the cream cheese crust.

Rose said that you can use pastry flour or unbleached AP. I like to use Arrowhead Mills Organic Pastry Flour. I tried using unbleached AP once. Didn't like it. Not as tasty as the pastry flour.

Here we have the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl, with cream cheese on top.


























Incorporate the cream cheese until it's the size of cornmeal.


























Add the butter pieces.


























Combine the floured cream cheese and butter together until the butter is in chunks - some big and small. It does not have to be uniform.


























Add ice water, by the tablespoon, and work on the dough until it comes together. I did not use all that water in the bowl. Probably use about 1/3 of it.


























Here is the dough. Pretty, isn't it?


























While the dough is resting, wash the cherries and rhubarb.














Then, my least favorite part. Pitting the cherries.


The cherries and rhubarb are then macerated with water, cornstarch, and sugar for 15 minutes. Next, bring them to a boil, while stirring constantly, and simmer for 1 minute.


























They have to cool completely before we add them to the pie crust. I placed the pot in the fridge, for faster cooling.

While the filling is cooling, roll the crust. My kitchen is very warm (75 degrees), so I placed the pie crust in the freezer.


























Once the filling cooled, poured it into the crust. Oops! I forgot to moisture-proof the bottom of the
crust.

Another oops! A bigger one. The filling only filled 1/2 of the crust's height. Where did the rest go? Hm... My pie plate might be too high. Shoot.

Okay not to worry. Let's proceed.

Making the lattice band.


























I still have some dough leftover after the pie is latticed. Let's make some leaves to cover the sides of the crust.


























Using the egg wash as glue, place the leaves cutouts on the shell border.

Not too shabby!


























Bake for 30 minutes, then cover the sides with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for another 15 minutes.


























Tasting impressions:
So good! Hubby said it's one of the best pies. That means it's up there on the list with the Apple Pie and Pecan Pie. As for me, I love it too! It's the perfect pie for a summer day.

40 comments:

  1. Girl.. you photos are EXCELLENT.. love everything about them, the light, the background, the story ... you are ROCKING IT

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  2. Jenn, that pie is gorgeous! Hubby loved the pictures as well, especially the 'main' whole pie picture. I love your free-form leaves. They are so beautiful and artistic in the photo where they're still 'connected' to the background. The crust is so perfectly browned -- I know if I were anywhere near that pie, I'd be picking the edge off all around the pie abd eating it (and probably really ticking you off, besides). Congratulations!!

    --ak

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  3. Gosh that just looks mouthwatering particularly with the rhubarb and cherries spilling out over the crust. Perfectly made! Great photos!

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  4. oh my god. it's so beautiful. all of it. i can't believe how wonderful all of your photos look! If it tasted half as amazing as it looks i'm sure it was unforgettable.

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  5. I'm glad you liked rhubarb too. Your lattice and leaves are beautiful!

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  6. Great pie and i love that dooby you have to pitt the cherries!

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  7. Monica, thanks Chica! I was inspired yesterday. And the red color everywhere(cherries, rhubarb) is very cooperative for picture-taking.

    AK, thank you! If you had lived closer, I'd happily shared the crust (and some pie filling with it :)).

    Jane, it tasted pretty darn good!

    Mary, the dooby is cherry-pitting device from Williams Sonoma. It can be used for olive pitting too, but works best with cherries.

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  8. Beautiful! We'd love for you to share this over at dishfolio.com!

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  9. What a gorgeous looking pie! I had never thought of pairing rhubarb with cherries before. I may have to give it a whirl.

    One question, do you use whole wheat pastry flour in your crust? It looks a bit darker than all-purpose and I'm always on the look out for a pie crust that works well with wheat flour.

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  10. Jen H, rhubarb and cherries is a good combo. And yes I use whole wheat flour. It taste much better than the regular flour.

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  11. What a beautiful pie, Jenn! Your step-by-step pictures are gorgeous too and very helpful. Now that I have Pastry Flour, I can’t wait to whip up some of Rose’s Cream Cheese Pie Crust myself (I have tons of rhubarb in my garden and the strawberries are almost to ready too!!). I’m hoping Pastry Flour works better than the AP flour + cake flour substitute. Fingers crossed!

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  12. beautiful pie jenn! and your step-by-step photos are perfect!

    i've been sick so i haven't baked anything yet--which puts me 3 weeks behind yikes! i'm going to have to do some major catch-up once i get better. i miss the HCB!

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  13. Beautiful pie, looks delicious. I'll have to remember that for our summer - rhubarb and cherries. Could get some wanty, wanty going on with that cherry pitting device as well. It almost seems like an essential piece of equipment if one was to cook with fresh cherries. Which clearly, one should do, based on this blog post! p.s. what does the ppb stand for?

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  14. Oh - my bad - just figured out it is the Pie and Pastry Bible. More wanty, wanty.

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  15. Dear Jenn, This pie is absolutely gorgeous! You are an artist with the dough. I remember making doing this with my mom, she was like you making the pie a work of art. Looking at your post brought back baking memories of her. Your pictures are excellent! Beautiful!
    I am now following your blog and would love if you would visit my blog too. If you like it please follow. Thank you. Blessings for a beautiful day. Catherine xo

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  16. this looks a-ma-zing! can you please give us the quantities for the filling? i'd love to replicate this at home with my favorite whole wheat pie crust recipe!

    thanks!

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  17. This pie looks incredible! I have the same OXO cherry pitter as you (though mine is red) and I love it. I would also love to try your cream cheese pie crust, never had it before but sounds intriguing.

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  19. Rachel, the recipe of the filling is in the Pie & Pastry Bible! It's a great book to add to your cookbook collection. Or you can always see if your local library has it!

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