Good Eats

As we’ve noted here before, our chickens are healthy egg-layers. In fact, we’re often overrun with their beautiful, big brown eggs, giving them away to practically everyone we see. So to that end, and for all our rural farm and urban backyard chicken friends (and everyone else who just loves fresh eggs), here’s a little book full of good ideas — The Fresh Egg Cookbook. Our copy is on its way and we can’t wait to try recipes like Egg & Black Bean Tortillas with Chipotle Cream Sauce, Verna’s Stuffed Eggs, Gruyere & Broccoli Quiche, Wild Mushroom Ragout with Poached Eggs, and Chocolate Angel Pie. Egg problem solved!

Today, the craving is strawberry-rhubarb pie. Don’t know why. In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever even had strawberry-rhubarb pie at our house. But I went searching for recipes late this afternoon when I should have been working and this one from Saveur looked the most delicious. Louise Piper of Rolfe, Iowa, won a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair for this pie. (You can read more about her and the great Iowa State Fair tradition in “State Fair” by Leah Eskin.) So here you go: Ms. Piper’s blue-ribbon Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie. Now, if you get to make this before we do let us know how it is, will you? Or send us a little review…and pics. And when we finally get around to making this summertime specialty ourselves, we’ll post it here!

Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie

For the Crust:

2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2⁄3 cup vegetable oil

6 tbsp cold milk

For the Filling:

1 1⁄4 cups plus 2 tsp sugar

1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄4 tsp ground nutmeg

1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb

3 cups halved and hulled strawberries

2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

2 tsp milk

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don’t stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough in half, shape into 2 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 12″ rounds. Transfer one pastry round (discarding wax paper) into a 9″ pie plate, and set other pastry round aside.

2. For the filling: Mix together 1 1⁄4 cups of the sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, then add rhubarb and strawberries, tossing well to coat evenly.

3. Fill bottom crust with rhubarb–strawberry mixture and scatter butter on top. Cover with remaining pastry round (discarding wax paper) and crimp edges together to seal. Score top to allow steam to escape, brush with milk, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Allow pie to cool for 1 hour before serving.

Visit Saveur.com for original recipe. Photo credit: Christopher Hirsheimer.

Need a Mother’s Day gift idea? Graduation treats for the kids? Or maybe something decadent just for yourself? If so, then splurge on Carol’s Cookies. A tin of these arrived at our house today (thanks, RaRa!) and each luscious creation weighs in at about 1/2 pound and is more than enough to share!

Mouth watering yet? Order your own cookies here.