Matt Gyory found himself in a most interesting situation after scoring a place in the finals for his Raspberry Rhubarb Pie. The Makes-Me-Wanna SHOUT! Pie Baking Challenge Final Five at Eatonville Restaurant was scheduled to take place within the time of his long-planned wedding and honeymoon. But this didn’t deter Matt from competing.
Tarty pie lovers at the semifinals and Final Five fell in love with Matt’s Raspberry Rhubarb pie’s balance of flavor and solid consistency on the plate thanks to flour and tapioca pudding. The pie took first-timers by surprise. Sure rhubarb looks like pink celery, but it definitely doesn’t taste like it. The pie was a runner up at the Final Five, but for hardcore Rhubarb Pie fans, strawberries will take a back seat to Matt’s raspberry mix.
My pie combines two of my favorite fruits/vegetables. My dad grew raspberries in our backyard, so I always had a fondness for the tart berries and never quite understood complaints about seeds. As for rhubarb, I just decided one day I wanted to try making rhubarb pie (no strawberries necessary) and went for it using fresh stalks from the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. The pie crust recipe I found online and it has been pretty foolproof, though I always need more water than the original recipe calls for. The pie originated as an entry into the 2010 DC State Fair at Columbia Heights day. I decided to combine two fruits/vegetables I loved into a tart, but pleasing pie. The two work well together and even though I didn’t win, I found a pie that definitely pleased my friends. The hardest part of making the pie was figuring out how much flour and tapioca to use so the pie wouldn’t ooze on a hot August day. On the day of the event, mine was one of few pies that wasn’t spreading itself out all over the plates. I didn’t bake a winner that day, but I found a pie I love to bake.
Here’s to Matt and Esther. Wishing you many years of dancing bliss.
Pie Recipe: Filling
2 9″ pie crust halves
*
4 cups fresh, sliced rhubarb
4 cups boiling water
1 pint raspberries, washed and picked over
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
1 egg
1 beaten egg or 1 tablespoons of milk (for brushing on crust)
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 400F and boil water.
Place rhubarb in colander and pour boiling water over it.
Shake to remove excess moisture and set aside.
In large metal bowl, combine sugar, flour and tapioca, mix well. Add rhubarb and raspberries and toss to coat.
Let stand 15 minutes.
Beat egg with water and add to the raspberry-rhubarb mixture.
Mix well.
Line a 9″ pie pan with one of the crusts and poke the bottom repeatedly with a fork.
Add filling and dot with butter.
Cover with the other pastry and cut slits to release steam as it cooks.
Brush either a beaten egg or milk on top to produce a golden sheen.
Place pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake at 400F for 15 minutes.
Drop the oven temperature to 350F and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.
Allow to cool before eating.
Pie Recipe: Crust/Pastry*
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4-8 tablespoons ice cold water
Cut butter into cubes and place in a bowl in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Put dry (non-butter and water) ingredients in the bowl of a food processor
(11 cups or bigger is probably best) and pulse 5 times to combine.
Add frozen butter and pulse 6-8 times to mix. The butter should look like pea sized chunks.
Add ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing afterward, until the mix sticks together.
Remove the dough mix to a clean counter and shape into 2 discs.
Wrap the discs in plastic (sprayed with non-stick spray) and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.