May 17, 2012- Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard


The garden is beginning to produce quite a bit of food for us now.  It seems as though we have something every day, from fresh salads to soups to desserts!  




Fresh garden spinach and a Walla Walla sweet onion that weighed nearly 4 ounces made a delicious spinach salad with hot bacon dressing.  It was served with bread made in the bread machine, rather than the oven, due to the unseasonably hot day (94F).  



Freshly picked celery and parsley went into the pot with a chicken carcass for a lunch of chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwiches and chips.


And best of all......






....was the pie, made with the first harvest of rhubarb from the garden!


Granny's Rhubarb Custard Pie with Thomas' Perfect Pie Crust


Thomas' Perfect Pie Crust 
(this is the best pie crust I've ever tasted! )

   2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt (I used 3/4 tsp. regular salt)
2/3 stick of unsalted butter (chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
3/4 cup of vegetable shortening (chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1/2 cup of ice water

In a large shallow bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Using a pastry cutter/fork, incorporate the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (you should still have rather large bits of butter and shortening when you're done). Slowly drizzle in the ice water and mix with a wooden spoon. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface, and fold it together using your hands. The dough should come together easily but should not feel overly sticky. Cut the dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap each in cellophane and refrigerate for at least an hour.


Rhubarb custard filling:

1-1/2  cups  sugar (we like our pies sweet, you may want to use less)
1/4 cup  all-purpose flour
4 cups  fresh sliced rhubarb (1/2" slices)
1  beaten egg
2 Tbsp. butter


In mixing bowl, combine sugar and flour. Add the rhubarb. Gently toss until coated.  Stir in beaten egg.  Let mixture sit for a few minutes while pastry is rolled out and fitted into a 9" pie plate.  

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate for lattice top, or trim even with rim for a two-crust pie.

Stir the rhubarb again to completely incorporate the egg and sugar mixture.  Transfer to the pasty-lined pie plate.  Dot with butter.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining dough  cut slits for steam to escape or cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips for lattice top. Place pastry over filling and weave strips over top for lattice. Press ends of strips into crust rim and fold bottom pastry over strips. For a two-crust pie, trim top crust to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate; fold extra pastry under bottom pastry and flute edge. If you like, sprinkle top of crust with additional sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon .

To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes for fresh fruit (50 minutes for frozen). Remove foil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until top is golden. Cool on wire rack.


Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard is hosted by Robin at The Gardener of Eden.  Robin is on vacation this week, so Jody from Spring Garden Acre is the temporary host.


47 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You bring 2nd. Man and the bread, I'll bake the pie!

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  2. Now I need a rhubarb pie. And I have no rhubarb. And I just got back from town. Where I didn't buy any rhubarb. For pie. The end.

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    1. Poor Langela. Be sure to buy some the next time you go to town, and bake that pie....it's worth the trouble!

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  3. That pie looks so good! I'll have to try making it.

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    1. Jenny, it was so good that Mr. Granny and I ate the entire pie in two days! It's a good thing I only have one rhubarb plant :-)

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  4. You would show me a pie, wouldn't you? Now I'm hungry.

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    1. Daphne, pie is my big weakness. Well, pie and cookies. And potato chips.

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  5. Thank you so much for this post! I have been looking for a rhubarb pie recipe for my hubby. I have never eaten rhubarb but he has asked me to grow it for years- just to make a pie! Yours looks wonderful and I can not wait to try it.

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    1. Christy, it is the best rhubarb pie! Just the addition of the one egg takes away from some of the tartness. I call it custard, but it isn't really, it just tempers the flavor a bit. This is the first time I'd tried Thomas' pastry recipe. I made it in my food processor, and it was easy and the best crust I've ever made. I was impressed with how easy it was to roll out, mine always fell apart but this one is very moist and holds together well, yet is tender and flaky when baked. Of course, it has a ton of butter and shortening!

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  6. When I decide to conquer rhubarb, I'm coming over because that looks delicious! Congrats on the harvest coming in!

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    1. Erin, if you can't do rhubarb, do Thomas' pie crust! It's really good. Really, really good! I have a bit left over, so I'm doing cinnamon crisps tonight.

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  7. Looks like you're having half of blogland coming over---guess I'll be joining them too. You make the finest looking meals. Did you ever work at a restaurant? I always think how most of the kids nowadays eat such junk. They need an A.G. of their own!

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    1. LOL, Sue....c'mon over! I worked at a restaurant once, when I was 15 years old. I got a summer job, and my main chore was cutting the curly fries. No, all my cooking was done for my husband and five kids....that's almost a restaurant! ;-)

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  8. I thought I was done eating for the day, and now I'm hungry again. Everything looks great! I'd be happy to sample every dish every day if you need an official sampler.

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    1. Dianefaith, c'mon over with Sue! I'll feed both of you :-)

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  9. Well, just set another place at the table for me! ;) That pie looks delicious as well as the salad and fresh bread. I could eat salads every night of the week!

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    1. You've got it, Loretta. I have 15 place settings of dishes, and when they are all in use I'll bring out the plastic picnic plates!

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  10. Sounds terrific and looks lovely.

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  11. I'm coming with Dianefaith and Sue too. I gotta have a slice of that pie!

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    1. OK, Jody! You can bring the squash casserole ;-)

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  12. Wow, it looks like it will be quite a gathering with all of us showing up for pie :) It looks so yummy I want to reach through the computer's screen for a bite.

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    1. The more the merrier, Rachel! Maybe I should make another pie....or two (or three)!

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  13. I am so wanting to grow rhubarb next year and know nothing about it so will have to study up and then will prob have a thousand questions. The bushes look pretty big so I'm not sure it's suited to a p-patch but mannn that pie...droooling here.
    The bread machine sounds pretty handy. We don't have one but my dad used to love to use his. And I do love that hot bacon dressing too. It's all yummy looking, soup included! I think my grandmother used to make strawberry rhubarb pie.
    I'm going to save your recipe. Might be able to score some rhubarb at the local markets. hmmm. I've never done pie crust from scratch since I helped as a kid so I'm liking the idea of using the food processor. My one prob is tiled counters make for no rolling pastry space. I use a big cutting board to roll cookies at xmas time but it's sorta limiting.

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    1. Amy T., just go to your local nursery and buy a plant. I got mine last year, paid about $7 for it. Be sure to get a pretty red variety. Mine is called Crimson Cherry, and I'm very happy with the flavor and color. You shouldn't harvest it the first year (but I did). It thrives if you pile on the composted manure very early in the spring, and give it plenty of water. Yes, it can get large. It takes up about the same amount of room as a big zucchini plant. This variety isn't nearly as large as what I've grown in the past, but it's sweeter. Put it where it can stay forever, because that's how long they live ;-)

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    2. I meant to add, I love my bread machine, and it was a cheap one...Sunbeam 5891, $56.95 from Amazon.com, with free shipping.

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  14. Hi Annie, I am starting to get a little more from the garden too. Seems so good! I will take the spinach salad and leave the pie for the others! Is the recipe for the hot bacon dressing posted anywhere on your site? Nancy at Cozy Thyme Cottage

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    1. Nancy, the recipe is at

      http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2008/10/october-10-2008-end-of-garden-recipes.html

      I just do half a recipe for the two of us, and it's enough for a good sized salad bowl of greens.

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    2. Thank you!!!! Nancy at Cozy Thyme Cottage

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  15. Now who can resist a pie? Yours looks delicious.................
    I love a little bacon(cooked with a clove garlic) atop a salad just adds that extra taste.

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    1. I sure can't resist pie, Andrea. It's a good thing I only have one rhubarb plant, I don't think I could fit into my jeans for long if I harvested more of it!

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  16. I definitely need to harvest more rhubarb this weekend and make pie! Yum!

    Your meals always look so good. It is dangerous to read your cooking posts as it tends to make me want to go eat again.

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    1. Kitsap, I don't cook "fancy" any more at all! I drool over your menus :-)

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  17. It's so exciting this time of year getting those fresh green leaves coming along isn't it, and who can resist rhubarb pie - especially your delicious-looking one!

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    1. Heskie, it's always so good to hear from you! You've been noticeably absent from your blog this spring. I miss your posts.

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  18. mmmmm....pie. Never had that one, though.

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  19. That is the most beautiful pie that I have ever seen. And I pride myself on my pies. I just love all of the photos on your blog. They are awesome!

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    1. Thank you, Lou Murray. Due to the higher fat content, that pastry browns a bit faster than what I normally make, so it got a bit darker than I'd like. The recipe I adapted mine from (an old Farm Journal cookbook, no egg in the filling) calls for baking at 425F for 40 minutes. That was too hot for this particular pastry, so I made the temperature adjustment for future pies. Too brown or not, it was still a delicious pie.

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  20. I tried a strawberry/rhubarb pie when I was working in Lake Moses. It was very good but I really could not tell what the rhubarb tasted like for all the strawberries. I would like to try a pie made with just rhubarb some day. I'm gonna save your recipe. Thanks for sharing, Granny!

    Greg

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    1. I think you'd like it, Greg. I made a strawberry rhubarb crisp a while back, and it tasted too much like strawberries, too.

      I'm so sorry we couldn't manage to meet up while you were in the area. Unfortunately, it was the week of my youngest son's birthday, my grandson's birthday, a granddaughter's birthday and my father's funeral (which I ended up not attending anyway). He had just passed away that previous Thursday, and my daughter was trying to talk me into attending. I decided against it, as he had only been a father to me for two of his 94 years.

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  21. Oh my! That pie is gorgeous! How wonderful to begin harvesting....

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  22. So I made your pie this weekend to bring to a BBQ, Well, I must say it was so good. The dough came together so easily, I did only add 1cup of sugar but supplimented with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I'm now going to send a link to your page to pass the recipe on.

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    1. Heather, I'm glad you liked the pie. I agree, it can use less sugar, especially if you use early spring rhubarb that is a bit sweeter than what grows later.

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