Rhubarb and Apple Pie

, from Issue #61. September, 2015
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
Rhubarb and Apple Pie

I love this old-fashioned combination of flavours (rhubarb always makes me think of my grandmother’s flourishing patch by her clothesline) with plenty of tart, zingy rhubarb and Granny Smith apples tucked into a pastry case topped with stars sprinkled in raw sugar for a wee bit of crunch. Serve generously with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or some thick cream.

Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup icing sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
120 grams cold butter, chopped into cubes
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon white vinegar
¼ cup iced water
1 tablespoon milk

Filling
25 grams butter
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
600 grams rhubarb, washed, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
cup caster sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon raw sugar

24cm pie tin, lightly greased

METHOD

Base: Place the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse to form rough breadcrumbs. Add one egg yolk, the vinegar and water and pulse until the pastry starts to come together. 

Tip onto a clean bench and knead briefly into a sausage shape then slice off ⅓ of the pastry. Wrap both pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

Roll out the larger piece of pastry and line the pie tin. Trim the edges, line the pastry base with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans. Combine the second egg yolk with the milk, and brush over the pastry base. Cook for a further 5 minutes until lightly golden.

Filling: Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the apples, rhubarb, sugar, vanilla and water. Cover and cook over a medium/high heat for 5-8 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool.

Topping: Roll out the remaining pastry between two pieces of baking paper. Use cookie cutters to cut whatever shapes you fancy. 

To assemble: Spoon the cooled fruit filling into the pie shell and top with randomly overlapping pastry shapes. Brush the pastry shapes with egg wash, sprinkle with raw sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve with thick cream or ice cream.