Rhubarb Custard Filling
4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
1 recipe pie dough (your own, or recipe follows)
1/2 recipe crumb topping, recipe follows
vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving
Preheat oven to bake at 400 F.
Place a 9 " pie plate on your counter.
Lightly dust your counter or a board with flour. Place the pie dough on the flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out so it will fit inside the pie plate, up the sides and have 1" of overhang. Move the dough to the pie plate. Trim any excess dough and then fold the edges up and under themselves and pinch to make a nice border. Or trim excess and crimp it with the tines of a fork.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and pinch of salt until well combined and slightly foamy. Fold in the rhubarb and then scrape the mixture into the prepared pie crust. place the crumble topping on the rhubarb mixture in an even layer. Move the pie to the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn the oven down to 350 F and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the pie is only slightly wobbly. Move to a cooling rack to cool and set for 30 minutes before serving.
Single Pie Dough
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ice water
Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 2-3 times to mix everything together. Open the top of the bowl and sprinkle the butter on top of the flour. Close the lid and pulse 5-10 times or until the butter has mad the mixture look like sand. With the machine running, slowly add the ice water (not the ice!) 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture starts to come together and looks shaggy, but not wet. Open the mixer and pinch the dough, if it holds together when pinched it is ready. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured counter or board and gather it together into a ball. Flatten it into a square and fold it over itself then flatten into a square again 3-4 times, gathering any pieces that fall off as you fold. Flatten the dough into a disk and cover in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Your pie crust is now ready to use.
Crumb Topping:
*makes enough for 2 pie toppings and will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and salt. Add the butter and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter to the flour mixture and pinch with your fingers until it resembles sand with a few large and medium sized crumbles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.