Rhubarb Raisin Pie... Oh My!!!

Link to photo

You may have noticed that I am not currently using my own photos.  My computer died and I am sharing our daughter's laptop.  I don't have a way set up to upload pictures from my camera, so I look for things online to illustrate what I've been making.  This picture shows what the filling looks like in the Rhubarb-Raisin Pie I made today.  I also added a top crust. This pie is delicious, nutritious and low in sweetener, which is amazing, if you know how very very sour Rhubarb is!

When I was a little girl, my mommie would give me a stalk of rhubarb and let me dip it in sugar and then take bites.  That was so much fun and such a nice memory.  I've always loved rhubarb.

Here is the recipe I came up with for the crust this time:  First of all, I ground some whole wheat berries (why do they call them berries??) on the "pastry" setting on my Wondermill.  If you do not mill your own flour, then I suggest you try to find some whole wheat pastry flour to use.  So... I ground the wheat and then sifted it to remove some of the coarser bran flakes.  

Pie Crust

2 cups of the flour described above

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup cold butter

cold milk

In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  

Grate the cold butter, a little at a time, into the flour mixture and mix it in the flour with your hand.  Keep doing that until all the butter is grated.

Use a pastry cutter to work the butter in OR you can do it with your fingers.

Add a little cold milk at a time, and stir gently with a fork, after each addition.  You want the dough to hold together and be rather soft, but not soggy.  Keep adding a little milk until it is right for rolling out.

Using unbleached flour on your surface, dump out the dough, divide in half and gently form each half into a nice round thing.

Roll one out large enough to line your pie plate well, using plenty of flour to prevent sticking.

Add the pie filling (see recipe below) and roll out the second crust, cut a few vent holes and put it on top of the pie.  

You can either flute the edges or you can put a little water on the under crust edge before placing the top crust, then go around with a fork and crimp the edges together.

Carefully cut off any extra crust.

You might want to protect the crust edge for part of the baking with strips of foil so it doesn't get too brown.

Bake at 400 F for about 40 minutes - until the crust is browning and the filling is bubbly.

Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing.

Rhubarb Pie Filling (This recipe is from Whole Foods for the Whole Family by La Leche League)

9" pie crust, unbaked

4 cups rhubarb, chopped

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of salt

2 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch

1/3 cup honey

Combine all filling ingredients and fill crust.  Put top crust on and cut slits so steam can escape.  Bake at 400 F for 35 to 45 minutes.

I just love these springtime things that come along on the heels of winter.  I hope that you, Gentle Reader, are also having a comforting springtime if that is where you live.  And if you don't, I hope it comes soon!