Hello summer babies,
It's about time I sit down and type up a little something! I have some very exciting news… I made bread!! I've always had a fear of baking with yeast because it's so easy to mess something up (or so I thought). BUT I got over my fear when Maggie gave me her mom's boss's bread machine. This is where you big bakers are all "psshhhhh yeah, that's not actually making homemade bread. That's cheating", but to all of them I say it soooo counts! I made something with yeast that's edible, so yeah, it counts. Special shout out to my office buddy, Kelly, for giving me the push I needed to not be such a bread making baby!
In other news, last weekend my friend Elizabeth from Bishop's invited me up to her farmhouse in Prince Edward County and we had a beauty of a time. It was so nice of her to have me up during her precious time away from camp. I ate way way way too much food, but who wouldn't? Elizabeth's mom went all out and the 10 ft island in their country kitchen was constantly topped with loads of cheese, meats, shrimp, bread on bread on bread, and lots of homemade profiteroles, tiramisu, pies, tarts, and the list goes on and on. I kind of felt like a balloon on my ride home but I had sun kissed shoulders and a happy heart leaving, so it's all good :)
 |
| Best ice cream ever! I got lavender flavoured. |
I also saw my roommate Sara on my way up and we totally had a movie moment reunion where we dropped everything, ran, and hugged each other like there was no tomorrow! Man I missed her!! Plus, some nice man with a big boat bought us ice cream (on condition that we date his son…) by the waterfront, so we couldn't stop giggling.
 |
| Every road trip needs ice cream! |
All this to say I made a pie!
Why is it that it took me three paragraphs to say I made a pie?? Nevertheless, it was deliciously amazing and among all the other desserts at Elizabeth's house, my pie was a favourite among the other party guests. According to Joy, from the blog I got the recipe from, this was one of her best recipe's of the year! And she bakes
a lot.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
From
Joy the Baker
For the Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks or grated
1/4 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoon cold buttermilk
For the Filling:
3 cups 1/2-inch thick sliced rhubarb (about 1 pound)
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
large pinch of salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup granulated sugar
large pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
To Make the Crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. Create a well in the mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Use a fork to bring to dough together. Try to moisten all of the flour bits. Add a bit more buttermilk if necessary, but you want to mixture to be shaggy and not outwardly wet.
On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture. It will be moist and shaggy. That’s perfect. Gently knead into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator will help rechill the butter and distribute the moisture.
To roll out the pie crust, on a well floured surface, roll the crust 1/8 inch thick and about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer it to a pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan Fold the edges under and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.
To Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, toss together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Toss until all of the fruit is covered in a coating of sugar and cornstarch. The cornstarch will disappear and the sugars will begin to make juice with the fruit. Allow to rest at room temperature while you make the topping.
To Make the Topping:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter chunks and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break the butter down into the mixture until well incorporated. Some butter bits will be the size of peas, and smaller. Add the coconut and toss to combine.
To Assemble the Pie:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. Toss a handful (about 1/2 cup) of the topping mixture into the fruit mixture, toss. Dump the fruit mixture into the pie crust. Top generously with topping mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. It’s important to use the middle rack because if the pie is too close to the top of the oven, the coconut will burn quickly.
Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until the pie is juicy, bubbling, and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. This will help the juices mellow and thicken a bit. Pie is best served just slightly warm with vanilla ice cream. Store covered in the refrigerator.
 |
| The baby pie I made with some leftovers |
Enjoy!
xox
Gaby
