Rhubarb and strawberry pie with orange pastry

This pie is really quite exquisite.  The flavours of the rhubarb, strawberries and the orange complement each other perfectly.  It is worthy of any respectable dinner party.

The pie keeps extremely well for two or three days – even out of a fridge.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 50 Mins

Total Time: 2 Hrs

Ingredients

For 8 servings…

For the pastry

110 gms          Butter       

200 gms          Flour        

2 tbs               Cornflour   

2 tbs               Sugar  - icing          

1                    Orange  - grated zest of         

1 pinch            Salt          

1                    Egg  - separated      

2 tbs               Water  - cold          

1 tbs               Sugar  - Demerara    

For the filling

500 gms          Rhubarb    

150 gms          Sugar  - caster        

500 gms          Strawberries           

4 tbs               Breadcrumbs  - dry   

Method

Heat an oven to 180°C.

Slice the rhubarb into 3cm lengths and mix with the sugar.  Mix in the strawberries and breadcrumbs.

To make the pastry…

In a food processor, blend the butter, flour, cornflour, icing sugar and orange zest with a pinch of salt.  Beat the egg yolk with the cold water and mix this into the pastry mixture.

To assemble and cook the pie…

Grease a 22cm pie dish that is 4cm deep.  Pile the fruit mixture in the dish, pressing it down well -making a domed shape.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 5mm thick.  Brush the rim of the pie dish with some of the egg white and lay the pastry over it.  Trim the edges and cut the trimmings into 1cm strips.  Brush the edges of the pastry lid with egg white and top with the strips to form a double- thickness edge.  Crimp together the edges.

Brush the pie with the last of the egg white and sprinkle with demerara sugar.  Cut a cross in the top.

Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then turn down the heat to 160°C and bake for a further 30 minutes until the pie is golden and the pastry cooked through.  Check halfway through and cover the pie with baking parchment if it gets too dark.

Allow the pie to cool to just warm or to room temperature.  Eat with cream or ice cream.

Wine recommendations

A sweet white wine would be the norm.

Conventional

     Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

Special

     Moscatel Sherry

Adventurous

     Crémant d'Alsace