As someone who bakes… quite a lot, it’s not often that I make something totally new. But for my family’s Memorial Day celebration, I tried a few new things: baking with rhubarb, and making my first pie crust! Both went swimmingly, but it was nice to get out of my comfort zone a bit. I don’t have anything against pies, but I never think to make them. Maybe just because pie crusts are daunting, and I never think of fruit-centric desserts. But this Rhubarb Pie with Dutch Crumble may just change that attitude entirely. Because it was truly top notch. And the Classic Blueberry Pie, served with some cinnamon ice cream?? Excellent.
And it turns out that pie crust is not too intimidating. Maybe I got lucky and wasn’t trying anything too crazy. And maybe Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood would have had meaner things to say, and comments about soggy bottoms. But I wasn’t complaining, and I didn’t think it was overwhelmingly hard. Putting together the fruit fillings was incredibly easy, even with the chopping of the rhubarb. And then the longest part of the process was just the baking! 
My mom is a big fan of rhubarb, and requested that this one have Dutch Crumb, which I think was an inspired choice. And Molly, who doesn’t lie rhubarb, even found it enticing! So I think it’s a win across the board, and the perfect pie to make during this Spring rhubarb season. I highly recommend finding the nearest Farmer’s Market and buying some for yourself before the season ends! 
And I think that these pies are both great accompaniments to a number of ice creams. I went with a cinnamon ice cream, but I think there’s a lot of flavors you could go with. Of course, a classic vanilla would pair great with either.
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PinIngredients
- 2 pie crusts – either store bought or homemade
- 6 cups (3 pints; about 860g) fresh blueberries*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar*
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (14g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Stir the blueberries, sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a large bowl. Mix together until it’s no longer dry and powdery; burst a few blueberries if necessary to moisten. Set filling aside as the oven preheats. Filling can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours if needed.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 425°F. Place baking sheet on the bottom oven rack to catch any blueberry juices.
- If using homemade crust, roll out 1/2 of your chilled pie dough (keep the other half chilled) into a 12-inch diameter circle. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch round pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth.
- Pour and spread the filling evenly into pie dish. Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling. Set aside at room temperature or in the refrigerator as you assemble the top pie crust.
Arrange the lattice:
- Use the other half of your dough and roll it into another 12 inch circle. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut 1 inch strips of dough.
- Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small paring knife to trim off excess dough. Flute or crimp the pie crust edges with a fork.
- Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if using.
- Bake the pie at 425°F for 25 minutes; then, keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F. Place a pie crust shield (aluminum foil) on the edges to prevent them from over-browning. Continue baking the pie until the filling’s juices are bubbling everywhere, including in the center, 40–50 more minutes. This sounds like a long time, but under-baking the pie means a soupy filling with paste-like flour and cornstarch chunks.
- Remove pie from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving. Filling will be too juicy if the pie is warm when you slice it.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
For the pie:
1 disc of pie dough, store bought or homemade
6½ cups fresh rhubarb, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
For the crumble:
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, use a little less if using table salt
3/4 cup butter, melted (1 and 1/2 sticks)
Instructions
Make the Sugar Crumble:
- In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients for the crumble: 1 and 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (use less for table salt). Whisk together.
- In a small bowl, melt 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks). Pour the butter over the dry ingredients and stir together gently. You should end up with a pretty wet sandy mixture with some large clumps. Let it chill in the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
Rhubarb Filling:
- Place chopped rhubarb into a medium-sized bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla and stir together.
Assembly and Baking:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of pie dough to a 14-inch diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch round pie plate and trim excess dough away from rim. Spoon in rhubarb mixture. Cut butter into small pieces and nestle them in the rhubarb
- Top the pie with about a cup or two of the sugar crumble, not all of it! You only want to add enough to cover all the rhubarb, not piling it on. Place the remaining crumble back in the fridge to chill.
- Bake the pie at 425 for 25 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350 degrees without taking it out of the oven.
- Bake at 350 for an additional 10 minutes.
- At this point, remove the pie from the oven and shut the oven door.
- Sprinkle the remaining chilled crumble all over the top of the pie. Break up large pieces with your fingers. Place the foil on top of the pie crust (the center of the pie should be exposed). Loosely crimp it around the crust on the edge. This will protect the edges from burning.
- With the oven still at 350, place the pie back in the oven and bake for about 30-40 more minutes.
- You will know the pie is done when the edges of the crust are brown and the crumble is turning a light golden brown in the center. If you want your crust and crumble to brown a little more, remove the foil shield and bake another 5-10 minutes.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack for about 4 hours.