Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

It is pie time!  I found this recipe in a recent Taste of Home magazine, and absolutely had to try it out with only a few slight changes.  We love pie at my house, especially fruit pie. And ice cream pie, of course.  I had never tried rhubarb and blueberry together, so I thought that this would be fun.  To top it off, I brought this pie (and some Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream) to dinner at the home of some friends and got some excellent reviews.

Starting with the crust, I made the one that was given in the recipe and was a little worried because it seemed, well, teeny.  It turned out to be the perfect amount, though.  Not too thick, but enough to be of substance and taste.  I also increased the amount of tapioca used, as I find that a slightly firmer pie is much more pleasant than "blueberry rhubarb soup in a crust".  I definitely recommend that you give this great Summertime pie a try, before Summer leaves for good!

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2/3 cup shortening

6 to 8 Tablespoons cold water

Filling:

4 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (thawed if frozen)

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 Tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

1/4 teaspoon salt

Coarse sugar or demarara sugar (optional for topping)

For the crust, in a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar.  Cut in the shortining using a pastry blender (or your fingers, 2 knives, etc.) until it forms crumbly pea size pebbles.  Gradually add the cold water, tossing the dough together until a ball forms.  You want the dough to be moist enough that the dough is not crumbly.  Divide the dough ball in half, with one half slightly larger than the other.  Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and chill for several hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of chilled dough to fit a 9 inch pie plate.  Transfer the crust to the pie plate.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator while you make the fruit pie filling.

For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the rhubarb and blueberries.  Add the sugar, tapioca, and salt, and toss with the fruit to coat.  Let the fruit mixture stand for 15 minutes.  Remove the prepared crust from the refrigerator and pour the fruit filling into the pie shell.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining piece of pastry dough to fit the top of the pie.  Place the dough over the filling and trim, seal, and crimp the edges.  Cut slits in the top crust for the steam to escape.  Sprinkle the top of the pie with coarse sugar or demarara sugar.

Bake the pie in a preheated 400F oven for about 1 hour, or until the crust is golden brown (covering with tinfoil if it gets too brown) and the filling is bubbly.  Please check to make sure that the filling is bubbling in the very center of the pie to ensure that it is cooked all the way through.  When the pie is done, remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy