Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

You will rarely find me putting sugar in a recipe, but a good strawberry rhubarb pie requires sugar. The strawberries and rhubarb are delicious, of course, but they are also tart. So if you prefer not to cook with sugar then you should skip this one. If you don’t mind a now-and-then foray into decadence, then try this recipe. A dollop of vanilla ice cream on top makes this perfect.

Ingredients

2½ c. diced pink rhubarb
2½ c. chopped strawberries
1 c. maple syrup
1 tbsp. tapioca flour
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. orange peel (optional)
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. butter
1 double-crust pie shell (either make from scratch or purchase ready-made—see below)

Directions

You will need a double-crust pie shell for this pie. You can either purchase a couple of readymade pie shells (use one on the bottom and put one on the top) or you can make your crust from scratch. Refer to my discussion about pie crusts (both with and without gluten) if you decide to make your own. A lattice crust is traditional for a strawberry rhubarb pie. The rest of this recipe assumes that you have the pie crust in which to place the strawberries and rhubarb.

Preheat the oven to 400˚. Chop the rhubarb and strawberries. In a large bowl combine the rhubarb and strawberries with the maple syrup, tapioca flour, and orange peel. Dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice until it is smooth and blended, then add that to the rest of the filling mixture. Take a taste of the pie filling and add more syrup if you want it sweeter.

Prepare your bottom pie crust and place it in the pie pan then roll out your top pie crust. Refer to my discussion of pie crusts to make the crust from scratch. Do not place the filling into the bottom crust until the oven is preheated and you have the top crust ready. If you make a lattice top crust from scratch, you will, of course, need to put the filling into the bottom crust before you can lay the lattice crust across the top. Dot the filling with butter before putting the top crust on. Bake for 10 minutes at 400˚ and reduce heat to 350˚, then bake for another 45 minutes.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Peach Pie

The most perfect peach pie is made with fresh peaches in season. If you blanch them in boiling water for a minute, then the skins will pull right off. Or of course you can scrape the skins off if you prefer. If you don’t have fresh peaches handy, you can still make a delicious peach pie with frozen or canned peaches.

Ingredients

7 fresh peaches peeled and chopped or 4 c. frozen or canned peaches
¼ c. honey
1 tbsp. tapioca flour
½ cup raisins (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. mace
1 double-crust pie shell (either make from scratch or purchase ready-made—see below)

Directions

You will need a double-crust pie shell for this pie. You can either purchase a couple of readymade pie shells (use one on the bottom and put one on the top) or you can make your crust from scratch. Refer to my discussion about pie crusts (both with and without gluten) if you decide to make your own. The rest of this recipe assumes that you have the pie crust in which to place the peaches.

Preheat the oven to 350˚. If you use fresh peaches, remove the skins and pits and chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Combine the peaches, honey, tapioca flour, cinnamon, and mace. Add the raisins if you decide to include them. (Note that many children don’t like raisins in pie so better to leave them out if you are baking for children and you don’t know how they feel about raisins.) Blend the ingredients together.

Prepare your bottom pie crust and place it in the pie pan then roll out your top pie crust. Refer to my discussion of pie crusts to make the crust from scratch. Do not place the filling (peaches) into the bottom crust until the oven is preheated and you have the top crust ready. When your crusts are ready, place the peach filling in the bottom crust. Then cover the peaches with the top crust and place the pie in the oven. Bake for 1 hour at 350˚.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!