Deep Dish Crumb Topped Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

By Foodiewife

I always look forward to Spring, when I can buy freshly picked strawberries from our local farm stand. They are so sweet, I can eat them without adding sugar. Cooking strawberries almost seems blasphemous, so I make this Spring/Summer pie when I buy berries that are a bit on the tart side. I'm the only member of my family who isn't a fan of pie, so I reserve some filling for a ramekin and top it with this delicious brown sugar oat topping. Vanilla ice creams is the perfect way to serve this. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Cooking, and seen on the food blog "Eats Well With Others".
NOTE: It's perfectly okay to use your own pie crust or a store bought version; this crust is just a wee bit fussy for nervous pie crust bakers.

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 11 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 egg, beaten to blend
• For the crumb topping:
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• For the filling:
• 3/4 lb rhubarb, sliced 1/2-inch thick on sharp diagonal
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. Instant Clear Jel (optional, I buy it from King Arthur Flour; if using, omit the cornstarch)

Preparation

Step 1

For the crust:
Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulsing to combine.

Add in the butter and pulse until butter is the size of peas.

Add in the vanilla and water, pulsing again just until the dough comes together, adding more water by the tbsp if necessary. Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thick round. Peel off the top sheet of paper.
NOTE: My preferred method to rolling pie dough is on a non-stick pie mat (I buy it from King Arthur flour). I lightly dust the mat. I prefer a french rolling pin, and start in the middle and roll out, then make a 1/4 turn of the dough. Roll, turn, roll, turn, sometimes lifting the pie dough to lightly dust with more flour if necessary. My pie dough never sticks, this way! I place the rolling pin on the edge of the rolled dough and drape the pie crust and gently roll it on the pin; then unroll it over my pie plate.

Transfer the dough to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Discard the paper, if using. Trim the overhang to 1/2-inch and crimp edges if desired. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Line the crust with parchment paper or foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until the crust is set, about 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans.

Brush the crust with the egg glaze. Bake until light brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.
NOTE: My pie crust baked a much darker color than I prefer. I would suggested using a pie crust shield, or you can simple roll strips of foil to fit around the pie crust edge.

For the topping:
Increase oven temperature to 375. Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in the butter until crumbly. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until use.

For the filling:
NOTE: If using Clear Jel, whisk it in with the sugar. ClearJel does a remarkable job of preventing runny fruit pies Love this product!

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch (if not using ClearJel), cinnamon and nutmeg in a large heavy saucepan. Allow to macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer until juices thicken, about 3 minutes.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Cover with the topping. Bake for 35 minutes or until topping is golden and juices are bubbling. Cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temp.

To make ramekins:
Instead of making the pie crust, simply fill ramekins with the strawberry filling, then use the topping.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until filling is bubbly.
Serve warm, or at room temp, topped with vanilla ice cream.