Raspberry Rhubarb Pie

I found a roll of Kodak Gold film from who knows when in the bottom of a drawer and loaded it in my camera the other day. Expired film is so fun (and random!) to work with. I got about 20 shots of yellow, super-grainy photos and a couple of snaps like the one above. Perfectly, imperfect. I guess even old crappy film can't keep a pie this good looking down.

I can't believe I had never made a rhubarb and raspberry pie before this one. Sure I've made cute little rhubarb and raspberry galettes and I've mixed rhubarb with just about every other berry that exists, but this pie: THIS PIE. If I ever get invited to compete in a pie contest, this will be my entry and it will win every damn blue ribbon there is to win. Strawberry rhubarb, step aside because raspberry rhubarb is where it's at. I used an all purpose flour crust for this guy, but I imagine a rye crust would be mighty fine too.

For a peek into my pie making process, check out this video made by photographer and pal Jen Causey who came over last week and shot me making this beaut. It was so much fun and we ate pie for lunch! Thanks Jen!

Raspberry Rhubarb Pie

yield, 1 double crust pie

Crust

12 ounces all purpose flour 
1 teaspoons salt
9 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 ounces ice cold water
1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight.

Filling

20 ounces rhubarb (about 5 stalks)
6 ounces raspberries (about 2 handfuls)
10 ounces sugar
2 ounces all purpose flour
zest and juice of 1/2 of a lemon
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved for another use
egg and crunchy sugar for topping

To Assemble and Bake

Preheat oven to 425º


On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12'' circle about 1/8'' thick and place it into a' pie pan. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie. Roll out the other piece of dough into a 12'' circle about 1/8'' thick and place it in the fridge on a sheet pan to chill while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds and lemon zest into the sugar to evenly distribute. Remove the leaves from the rhubarb (if there are any) and chop it into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the rhubarb, raspberries, flour, lemon juice and salt into the large bowl with the sugar and gently toss to combine evenly. Be careful not to crush the raspberries too much. Fill the prepared pie shell with the rhubarb mixture and top with the second crust, crimp the edges and cut a few vents in the top. 

Alternately, you can top the pie with a lattice-style crust as I've done in the photos above. Here is a link to a great photo tutorial on Simply Recipes. When I make a lattice topped pie, I like to use nice thick strips of dough, so the ones pictured above are about 1-inch wide.

If the crust seems soft or warm, slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes before you bake it. When you are ready to bake, brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.

Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 15min on the lowest rack of your oven, then lower the oven temp to 400º and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and the rhubarb juices bubble. Cool before serving.

Raspberry Currant Jam

A trip upstate a few weekends ago to help some friends build a clay oven (more about this exciting development later!) quickly turned into a raspberry picking spree after we saw a sign on the side of the road advertising U-Pick berries. I don't think I've even seen raspberries sold in anything larger then a half pint since I moved to the East Coast so as soon as we pulled over I grabbed a basket and booked it out to the fields with my pals. 

We walked up and down the raspberry rows and picked and picked until our arms were scratched from the brambles and our fingers stained from the fruit. It was a glorious summer day and I couldn't help but smile to myself and dream up all of the ways I was going to use the pounds and pounds of raspberries I was picking. Growing up, a corner of my parent's garden was always dedicated to the raspberry bushes that my dad grew from sad little twigs and the smell of raspberry jam boiling away on the stove (a few times per summer) is a smell I haven't experienced in years. When I got home, I knew that a batch of jam was my first order of business.



My mom always made a simple jam with raspberries, sugar and pectin. She never bothered to strain the seeds out so I don't either, but I have adapted the recipe so it no longer requires pectin. I also threw about a pint of tart red currants to add a bit of zing to the jam but by all means, if you can't find currants where you live, you can certainly just use raspberries. If you'd like to make your batch of jam a bit more refined feel free to strain the seeds and be warned that you'll end up with a smaller yield, maybe six half pints instead of seven. 



Raspberry Currant Jam
yield, roughly 7 half pints jam

8 ounces red currants (or raspberries if you can't find currants)
40 ounces raspberries
32 ounces sugar
juice of 2 lemons

1. Add the raspberries, currants, sugar, and lemon juice to a large, wide, non-reactive pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. As the jam comes to a boil, skim the foam that rises to the top of the pot and discard.
3. Raise the heat to high and boil for 10-20 minutes or until set, being careful not to let the bottom scorch. Begin checking for doneness at 10 minutes. I generally use the wrinkle test to check for doneness with this type of jam, but if you like numbers you can cook it to 220ºF. If you prefer seedless jam, quickly transfer the cooked mixture to a mesh strainer and force as much as the jam through as possible, discard the seeds and proceed with canning.
4. Pour the jam into sterilized jars, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

A Special Cake for a Special Lady

One of my nearest and dearest is getting hitched in just a few short months and I have been given the honorable task of making the wedding cake. Needless to say, I am pretty excited to be part of the big day! She is marrying her betrothed on her family's ranch just outside of Austin, TX and it is shaping up to be a boot-scootin' good time. When her lovely aunts and cousin decided to throw her an engagement tea I immediately offered to make a mini wedding cake so I could test my recipes with some folks in my target audience. The bride requested a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, so I turned to the incredible pound cake from Saveur that I have made loads of times and my standby vanilla buttercream that I know she loves. Then I filled the cake with a thin layer of raspberry preserves mixed with fresh raspberries to cut the sweetness and add a pretty pink surprise in the middle. Well, it was a big hit and all of the ladies at the party told me they can't wait to eat it again at the wedding!

If you aren't feeling ambitious enough to make a layer cake, this pound cake is great on its own or with fresh fruit and whipped cream or maybe even a little chocolate sauce if that's what you're in the mood for. Use the best butter, eggs, and vanilla you can afford, this cake is so simple that quality ingredients really do make a difference.


Vanilla Pound Cake
adapted from Saveur

12 oz softened butter
3c flour
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1c milk, room temperature
1T vanilla extract
3c sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature

1. Heat oven to 325 and generously butter and flour a 10'' tube pan*. Pat out any excess flour and make sure the entire inside surface of the pan is covered, no one likes a stuck, broken cake
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a measuring cup
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer cream butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on med-low speed, gradually pour in the sugar, scrape down the bowl and beat until smooth, light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter and sugar mixture beating for 15 second before adding another and scraping down the bowl often.
5. Reduce the speed to low and alternately add the flour and milk mixtures in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour. When there are still a few streaks of flour left in the batter, take it from the mixer and finish the mixing by hand.
6. Pour into the prepared pan and firmly tap to remove any air bubbles. Bake until light golden, about 75 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30min, then invert onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

This cake is awesome the next day, or even two or three days after you bake it. I baked my cake on a Friday and served it on a Sunday and it was still moist and delicious. It also really doesn't need any frosting, but if you would like to make a layer cake as I did, I have provided a great simple vanilla bean buttercream below.

*I multiplied this recipe 1.5 times and baked 3, 7'' layers and 4, 6'' layers to make my two tiered mini wedding cake

Simple Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1 lb softened butter
2 lbs sifted confectioner's sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1t vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup room temp milk
big pinch salt

1. Cream the butter, salt and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 5 min.
2. Add the vanilla bean and extract, then slowly stream in the milk until you reach your desired consistency

Here is a great photo tutorial on putting together a layer cake from my girl Martha.