It is the start of local strawberry season and rhubarb is plentiful right now so this was a perfect pairing for adaptation to a gluten free pie recipe.  This is an easy pie to construct and you can store any leftover crumb mixture in a sealed container in the fridge; it keeps a few weeks.  The GF crust will work for any pie and the GF crumb topping is perfect for any crumb pie.  If you prefer a solid crust just double the crust part and top your pie with it.  Be sure to cut some slits for steam escape!

I have a second oven; I call it the pizza oven which I use mostly to bake pies in; it has only bottom heat. This gives my crust the chance to get properly browned without overcooking the rest of the pie. If you use a regular oven you might want to prebake your empty gf crust for 10 minutes to give it a head start so it doesn’t get underbaked.  If you are making this pie with regular flour; just sub in for the gf blend and bake it as I describe below.  I made this pie before I went gf and if you are a gluten gluten you can still enjoy the berry goodness of this late spring themed pie.

Please make every effort to use local strawberries; you can get them at most farm stands, farmer’s markets and at Lehigh Valley Produce on Main Street in Hellertown.  I got mine at Lehigh Valley Produce; very flavorful and in prime condition. This pie really showcases the strawberries more than the rhubarb which is a silent partner so that is why I suggest you get the best; locally grown sweet ripe strawberries to make your pie’s flavor just perfect.

Bake and enjoy early summer in a pie from just a few minutes of work.  Don’t eat it hot; it should be cooled to room temperature or even chilled. I am guessing you could top this with vanilla ice cream.  Maybe next time!

Angie’s GF Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

Crust:

1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)

2 tbsp sweet rice flour

1 Tbps. granulated sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbps. cold butter cut into 6 chunks

1 lg egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Directions:

Spray 9 inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.

Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer.  Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.  Add egg and juice.  Mix until it comes together into big chunks.  Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you chop the rhubarb into ½ inch chunks and hull/slice the strawberries.

Filling:

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in thick slices

2 cups cut up fresh rhubarb – place in medium bowl

Mix with

½ to 2/3  cup sugar ( I used ½ cup but I guess some like things really sweet so I gave a range of sugar amounts.)

1/3 c gluten free flour mix (see below recipe or use any you like: I actually used a mock Better Batter flour for this pie filling.)

1 egg (can be left out if you wish)

Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper, try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered.  Remove other slice of wax paper.  Crimp edges all around.  Fill with dry strawberry – rhubarb mixture.  Beat egg in a small bowl and pour over. Top with crumbs.

Crumb topping

¾ c brown rice flour mix

½ c sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks

Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.

Sprinkle the top of the pie with crumb mix; use as much as you like.  I like about ½ to 2/3 of the mixture.  Up to your personal taste… It sinks partially into the fruit mixture and adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until bubbly and the crust is light brown.  Cool at least 2 to 4 hours before serving at room temperature.

Brown Rice Flour Mix

2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour