Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of those classics that I absolutely adore. And that’s exactly why I hesitated a bit before adding elderflowers to the mix. But I’m glad to say it turned out so well, with just a hint of elderflower flavor. Perfect.
I know it looks like this pie has a huge puddle in the bottom, but it doesn’t, really. I was eager to photograph the inside and let it cool just 1 1/2 hours which is not enough to let it firm up completely.. I know, my bad. And it’s definitely not soupy like many other strawberry rhubarb pies I’ve tried. I macerate the fruit and then cook the liquids before I add them back to the pie (don’t want to lose any of that precious flavor!). I know it sounds like many steps to go through but I highly recommend trying it, to avoid a soggy pie bottom.
And for those of you who are interested, I made a little lattice guide. Check it out below! Oh, and sorry for blocking the view with my head so many times.. hehe.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
WITH ELDERFLOWER
yields 1 pie, 8-9 inch pan
Strawberry and rhubarb tend to release a lot of juice when baked, therefore, I macerate the fruit with sugar and flavoring so they release some of the liquid (and I tell you, it’s a lot! I probably had around 2 cups). I then cook the liquid with cornstarch until it thickens. This is to avoid a soggy bottom in a double crusted pie. The fruit also shrinks a little bit when doing this, so you don’t get that gap between the filling and the crust!
Feel free to add another flavoring in place of elderflower. Cinnamon or cardamom would be delicious.
Ingredients
For the pie crust
2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
250 g (2 sticks + 2 tbsp) very cold salted butter, diced
6-8 tbsp ice water
For the filling
3 3/4 cup (500 g) 1/2 inch thick sliced & trimmed rhubarb
3 1/3 cup (500 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (200 g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp real vanilla powder
pinch of salt
a handful of elderflowers, washed and stems removed
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
For the egg wash
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp turbinado sugar, to sprinkle
Directions
Crust
1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the diced butter and, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still visible pieces of butter.
2. Drizzle with water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough! Pat the dough together, divide in half and flatten into two discs.
3. Wrap both pieces of dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least an hour but preferably overnight.
Filling
1. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and elderflowers in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Cover and leave in room temperature for 30 minutes. Carefully toss every now and then.
2. Put a colander or sieve on top of a large non-reactive saucepan. Pour the filling into the colander and let stand for a few minutes until all the liquids have dripped into the saucepan. Put the berries back into the bowl and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and lemon juice. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. It should thicken quite a bit but still be a little runny, make sure it doesn’t turn into a paste! Leave to cool to room temperature, then add back to the berries.
Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 225°C (430°F) with a baking sheet in the lower part of the oven (think of it like a pizza stone!).
2. If needed, leave the pie dough in room temp for a few minutes before rolling.
Roll out one piece of the dough into a large circle on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8 – 1/4 inch (3-5 mm) thick. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface. Transfer to a 8-9 inch pie pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1 inch overhang.
3. Roll out the other piece of dough and cut into 12 long strips.
4. Spoon the filling into the prepared pan and place the strips in a lattice pattern on top (see video). Crimp the edges.
5. Put pie in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Bake
1. Mix the egg, a pinch of salt and milk in a small bowl.
2. Remove the pie from the freezer and brush it with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
3. Place the pie in the oven, on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 225°C, then lower the temperature to 175°C (350°F). Bake until the edges are golden brown and filling bubbly, about an additional 45-50 minutes. If the pie is browning too much, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let cool completely before serving with vanilla ice cream.
SÅ fina bilder <3<3<3 Och älskar videon och musiken! Bra tips för att få bort lite av vätskan förresten. Jag får ofta problemet att pajen blir för vattnig. Ska testa detta nästa gång 🙂
Kram!
Åhh tack så mycket Agnes <3 <3 Ja, prova! Tycker det funkar hur bra som helst! Kram!
WOW. Your photo's are phenomenal!! I haven't had a strawberry rhubarb pie in a loooong time, my mom used to make one of those upside down ones when I was younger… I totally fancy a slice now.
Oh yum, upside down cake? Or tarte tatin? Either way it sounds so good, I need to try that! And thank you for your sweet words :-*
Linda, your photos are stunning! And there is nothing better than a strawberry rhubarb pie in the summer.
How sweet you are, Ellie! Thank you ever so much :-* And it's true, I love it so much!
beautiful!
Thank you sweet Michelle!
In love with all your recipes and photos ♥
Waiting impatiently french or english version of your new beautiful book to complete the collection!
Kiss from Portugal
You are too kind ♥ Thank you!! I hope it will come out soon.. crossing my fingers! Kisses
What a beautiful pie! It just feels like summer!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Thank you, Kari! Summer in a pie is a pretty perfect description :-*
This is absolutely gorgeous, Linda! Do I say this all the time? Well, maybe! But it is SO well deserved!
Haha, thank you Christelle! I don't min you saying it.. it means so much to me! Thank you! xx
The elderflower is such a wonderful addition! This pie is lovely!
Thank you, Katrina! It really was, I was almost surpassed how good it was with the strawberry and rhubarb!
Hola Linda! This is so wonderful, as usual. And the video makes it even better. I am going to try one of your pie recipes soon…Enjoy your day 🙂
Hola! Aww, thank you, how sweet you are!! Have a wonderful day :-*
Beautiful styling and photography as always Linda! The pie looks and sounds wonderful and I absolutely love the sugar crusted lattice pastry work. I have just made some lovely elderflower cordial, do you think I could substitute the flowers for this after the season finishes? x
Thank you so much, Louise! I'm sure you could! If you just reduce the sugar by a few tablespoons and add cordial instead.. I bet it will be a success! Please let me know how it turns out if you try! xx Linda
Lovely, especially lovely cake!!!? Absolutely gorgeous work Linda! Kisses from Slovakia. Marta http://www.thestoryofacake.sk
This pie is perfection and those strawberry, rhubarb and elderflower flavors always remind me of my childhood and summer holidays in Slovenia when my grandmother would bake pies and me and my sister would help picking up strawberries from the garden, she would make elderflower syrup and fritters and so many delicious things… Photos are gorgeous and I also like the music in the video! is that your band? 🙂
Thank you very much Linda for your lattice guide on video. It has been very useful to me.
Love your recipes!
Yay birthday pie! Cause this post was on my birthday. I am totally loving the love and care that shows in the lattice work. I have a pie to shoot this week and I have been practising from your video on IG. Thanks for sharing Linda. Always such an inspiration.
Stunning pie, Linda! Your lattice is beautiful!
you blog is so amazing, i love it so much !
http://enwellove.blogspot.fr
Hi Linda,
This looks like a delicious recipe & your pictures are beautiful. I was wondering if I was to omit the elderflower & substitute with cinnamon, how much cinnamon would you suggest? Thank you!
Yummhy, seems delicious !!
Wonderful pics as usual. I love rhubarb and this pie look delicious!
Tamara
Beautiful photos, just admire how you style your sweets and cakes! Of course the recipe is great as well.
Lea from http://www.55flavours.com
Delicious! 😀
Thanks! 🙂
Strawberry rhubarb is my favorite and I love elderflower but I live in Southern California so I can’t get elderflowers. Could you use elderflower cordial?
Hi Tammy! You could probably use a little but since it’s sweet you could reduce the sugar slightly!