You know all those flavored carbonated water drinks available in the market? Why don’t they make one for strawberry/rhubarb? It is, after all the best combination for early summer baking and cooking. For those watching their sugar intake, do not reduce the sugars in this recipe; simply cut a smaller slice for yourself or guests.

Ingredients

• Pie crust, 2, one for top and one for bottom
• Rhubarb, 3 cups (1/2 inch pieces)
• Strawberries, 2 and ½ cups chopped
• Light Brown Sugar, 1/3 cup packed
• Sugar, 1/3 cup
• Cornstarch, ¼ cup
• Salt, ¼ teaspoon
• Orange juice, 1 tablespoon
• Vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon
• Unsalted butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons, cut into small pieces

Preparation

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Place bottom crust into the pie dish.

Spoon the filling into the pie dish.

Dot with butter.

Place second crust over top and crimp edges.

Place the pie on a baking sheet before putting in the oven.

Bake in 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake an additional 25 yo 30 minutes.

Optional to add strips of tin foil around the pie, covering the edges.

Improvising: I used fresh squeezed orange juice.

I used most of the pie crust on the bottom layer, so simply crumbled the remaining pie crust dough over top.

This turned out quite good.

Tartness Tip: Rhubarb is quite tart. I look for the thinner pieces of rhubarb to chop.

If you have thick stalks, slice lengthwise first, before chopping.