It's Spring...are you ready for some Raspberry Rhubarb Pie?

I remember when I was in college out in the Lancaster Pennsylvania area, many of the homeowners around the perimeter of our campus would have these large and often times multiple rhubarb plants growing in their gardens. I always wondered what the heck you do with rhubarb, although it seemed to be very popular at least at that place and time.  It wasn't until a few years ago after my husband and myself moved to our New Jersey home, that my brother had given us a generous portion of a rhubarb plant he had in his garden, it was then that I really began to cook with rhubarb.

This recipe is one you have to truly stick to, no veering off of the amounts of each ingredients. The rhubarb is sour and the raspberries also have a little bite, so you want to make sure that you have the right balance of sweet and tart.

Ingredients:

! recipe pastry for a double pie crust (or you can use a refrigerated crust to save time)

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 T. cornstarch (make sure you use the exact amount or your filling will be too thick.)

1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder

3 cups fresh or frozen red raspberries

2 cups of fresh or frozen unsweetened rhubarb

1/4 orange marmalade

milk

sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare pastry for a double crust. If making your own, lightly flour a clean surface, I like to use wax paper, and using your hands slightly flatten the dough. Roll pastry dough into approximately a 13 inch circle and then place it inside a 9 inch deep dish pie plate. 

In a large bowl, stir together the 1 1/4 cups of sugar, cornstarch and five spice powder. Add the raspberries, rhubarb and marmalade and gently toss. If using frozen fruit make sure it is at least partially thawed...about 45 minutes at room temperature.

Fill the prepared pie plate with the raspberry mixture and top with the second crust. Brush milk over the top of the pie and sprinkle with sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the top pastry to allow the heat out and to let the fruit mixture bubble. Place a jelly roll pan on the rack below the pie to catch any of the overflow drippings. Bake pie for 60-70 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cooled with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe for a double pie crust...

In a large bowl stir together 2 sups of all purpose flour and 1 tsp. salt. Using a pastry blender cut in 2/3 cup of shortening until pieces begin to look like small peas. Add 6-7 T of ice cold water and blend. Divide the dough in half and form into 2 balls of dough. 

Tip:  Handle the pastry dough as little as possible in order to make your crust as flaky as possible.

Enjoy!!!

XO 

This recipe was adapted from BHG Best-Loved Readers Recipes 2013

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