Strawberry season has begun according to Bechdolt’s and rhubarb is plentiful right now so let’s make a pie with these spring fruits. After all, 2016 is my year of the pie on this blog. I am baking one right after lunch today!
This is an easy pie to construct and you can store any leftover crumb mixture in a sealed container in the fridge; it keeps a few weeks. The GF crust will work for any pie and the GF crumb topping is perfect for any crumb pie. If you prefer a solid crust just double the crust part and top your pie with it. Be sure to cut some slits for steam escape!
Please make every effort to use local strawberries; can get at most farm stands and at Bechdolt’s Orchards south of Hellertown. This pie really showcases the strawberries more than the rhubarb which is a silent partner so that is why I suggest you get the best; locally grown sweet ripe strawberries to make your perfect pie. If you don’t get local, at least get organic berries. They are much healthier for you and probably more flavorful.
Bake and enjoy an early summer pie in just a few minutes of work. Don’t eat it hot; it should be cooled to room temperature or even chilled. I eat it both ways and love it either way. I am sure you could top this with vanilla ice cream for even more yumminess.
Angie’s GF Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie
Crust:
1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)
2 tbsp sweet rice flour
1 Tbps. granulated sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbps. cold butter cut into 6 chunks
1 lg egg
2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice
Spray 9 inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.
Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer. Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Add egg and citrus juice. Mix until it comes together into big chunks. Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you chop the rhubarb into ½ inch chunks and hull/slice the strawberries.
Filling:
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in thick slices
2-3 cups cut up fresh rhubarb – place in medium bowl
Mix with
½ to 2/3 cup sugar ( I used ½ cup but you might like it sweeter.)
1/3 c gluten free flour mix (see below recipe or Better Batter flour works great.)
I sometimes add a tsp. of orange zest to the filling; a great pairing with these fruits.
Crust: Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper; try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered. Remove other slice of wax paper. Crimp edges all around. Fill with dry strawberry – rhubarb mixture
Crumb topping
Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.
¾ c brown rice flour mix
½ c sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks
Continued directions: Sprinkle the top of the pie with crumb mix; use as much as you like. I like about ½ to 2/3 of the mixture. Up to your personal taste… It sinks partially into the fruit mixture and adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.
Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 40-50 minutes until bubbly and the crust is light brown. I have a bottom heat oven so my crust gets nice and brown. If that is an issue for you, bake the empty bottom crust ten minutes before filling so it gets a head start.
Cool at least 2 to 4 hours before serving at room temperature.
Brown Rice Flour Mix
2 c brown rice flour
2/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca flour
This post was originally shared in July 2015. Slight changes to the text were made but the recipe is pretty much the same.
My World Without Wheat 