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A crisp? A pie? A crispie? “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play..” So begins the first line of The Cat in the Hat. And, as I lay in bed this morning listening to yet another round of thunder and pouring rain, I knew that no yard work would be accomplished today. The weeds and the grass would be left to grow another six inches while I daydreamed of strawberries and rhubarb, and remembered that it was my grandfather’s favorite pie. I’ve been working on a strawberry-rhubarb crisp lately, but haven’t gotten it quite where I wanted it. So I lay there contemplating the possibility of a pie with a crisp topping. Sometimes apple pies have streusel topping, would it work for a strawberry-rhubarb pie? Why not? It was too wet to do anything except stay inside- I’m talking about the kind of rain that soaks you through to the skin in less than half a second. I had no pie crust mix in the house. And wasn’t motivated enough to brave a quick, wet run to the store.

Was I daring enough to attempt my own? Pie crust couldn’t be that scary could it? It’s just flour, water and shortening- in the correct proportions of course. Really, was I going to let three ingredients intimidate me any longer? With the house fairly clean- as clean as it’s ever going to get with two active children, I had nothing else to do….so I went for it! And, I have to say, I’m not only proud of the results, I’m in love with them! No more mixes for this mama!

This pie crust is surprisingly easy to make. It holds together well and the texture just melts in your mouth.  I confess, I had to throw out one batch before I landed on what I liked, but still, with time on my side today, and my little sous chef ‘helping’, I knew I’d at least have fun playing in the kitchen. As for the filling, I’ve always loved strawberry and rhubarb. Maybe it’s sentimental, or maybe it’s because rhubarb and strawberry are one of nature’s brilliant pairings. A little sweet, a little tart, a lot of enjoyment.

Easy Gluten-Free Pie Crust

makes 2 8-9 inch crusts

Ingredients

3/4 cup sweet rice flour

3/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

4 oz butter (8 tbs)-chilled

4 oz vegetable shortening (8 tbs)-chilled

7 tbs chilled ice water

3 tbs cornstarch (for kneading)

Directions

These directions have been created using a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, I recommend freezing the butter/shortening and grating it into the dry mixture for faster mixing, or taking 2 knives and cutting it into the dry mixture the old fashioned way. Whatever way you choose to prepare the crust, it will taste delicious.

Place all dry ingredients except the cornstarch in the food processor and pulse three times to blend. Cut the chilled butter and shortening into tablespoon sized pieces and add evenly to the flour mixture. Pulse approximately ten times, or until butter/shortening has been reduced to pea-sized amounts or smaller. Drizzle the ice water by tablespoonfuls over the mixture. Pulse approximately 25-30 times, or until mixture has formed into a ball. Remove from the food processor.

On a wooden cutting board, or a piece of parchment paper, place a sprinkle of cornstarch. Place the dough ball on the surface and sprinkle with one tablespoon of the cornstarch. Knead with the heel of your hand, pressing dough down and across surface. Re-form into a ball and knead again. When the cornstarch has been worked into the dough, sprinkle an additional tablespoon over the dough ball and repeat until all three tablespoons have been incorporated into the dough. The kneading helps mash the butter/shortening into the flour, thus creating a crispy, melt-in-your mouth crust. Separate the dough into two balls, flattening each slightly with your hand, and sprinkle each with a little cornstarch. Wrap each flattened ball in parchment, waxed paper, or plastic-wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours. The dough will keep at least a week.

When dough is ready to be rolled, place a large piece of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle with cornstarch. Liberally rub your rolling pin with cornstarch and begin to roll the dough in a circle. If the dough starts to stick to the rolling pin, apply more cornstarch to the roller. You can also sprinkle additional cornstarch on the crust. Since this dough has no gluten, it’s much softer and more delicate than a regular pie crust. You need to work quickly while the butter/shortening is still cold. Roll the crust to 1/8 inch thick, and approximately 2 inches beyond the width of the pie plate. To transfer to the pie plate, pick up the parchment and once it’s over the plate, flip the parchment over, gently placing the crust on the plate. With your fingers, arrange the crust to your liking, and crimp the edges.

If you’re baking the shell prior to filling it: Preheat the oven to 375. Take a second pie plate and grease the outside. Place the greased pie plate on top of the crust and cook for 20 minutes. This will keep the crust from collapsing. Remove from the oven and gently remove the greased pie plate. Your crust is now ready for filling. If you need to keep cooking the bottom of the crust, you may prick the bottom part of the crust with a fork, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Alternately, if you have pie crust balls, or marbles, you may use those in lieu of a second greased pie plate.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling

Ingredients

3 cups strawberries- chopped if fresh, whole if frozen

3 cups rhubarb, chopped

1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped

1/4 cup cornstarch

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes. If the strawberries are frozen, defrost them almost all the way first. (almost all the way means they’re still a little cold, but no longer frozen solid)

Place in the crust and top with crisp. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or until top is bubbly and brown.

Crisp Topping  

Ingredients

1 cup certified gluten free rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 stick (8 tbs) butter, chilled

1/4 cup cornstarch

Place dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse once. Add chilled butter by tablespoonfuls and pulse until pieces are pea-sized or smaller- about 6 times. Pour into a bowl and squeeze with your hands until crumbles are larger in size. Crumble over fruit filling of your choice- in this case strawberry-rhubarb pie!

To make a crisp instead of a pie: Place filling in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. Crumble the crisp topping over the filling and cook at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, or until top is bubbly and brown. Can be served immediately with ice-cream, or allowed to set up and thicken before serving.

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