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Rhubarb Berry Pie

Rhubarb Berry Pie

The first time we made this pie we used blueberries instead of blackberries and a whole cup of sugar instead a half. The blueberries were frozen and not completely thawed or drained. The pie ended up being runny (pie soup anyone?), the blueberries dominated the flavor (they were all you could taste), and the pie was way too sweet. Well, my mother liked it, but she likes things super sweet. My father and I love the tartness of rhubarb and want to taste it. So naturally, as soon as that pie was half eaten, we made plans to make another one. This time we used marionberry blackberries, frozen from last season, along with fresh rhubarb and strawberries. We cut the sugar to 1/2 a cup (a little tart, could have used another tablespoon or two) and remembered to defrost and drain the marionberries. Perfect! (Don't you love fruit pie season?)

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Rhubarb Berry Pie Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup will yield a pie slightly on the tart side)
3 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 1/2 cups blackberries, boysenberries, or mixed berries (if you use frozen berries, first defrost them and then drain them of excess moisture)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of ground mace or nutmeg
1 pie dough recipe for top and bottom crust

Method

1 Roll out one ball of pie dough on a lightly floured surface to 12-inch diameter. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with the dough. Chill in refrigerator while you prepare the fruit.

rhubarb-berry-pie-1.jpg
2 Stir sugar and quick cooking tapioca pearls together in a large bowl. Add the rhubarb, strawberries, and other berries. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and mace or nutmeg. Stir gently to coat berries with the sugar. Let sit for 15 minutes, stirring once. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3 Roll out second ball of pie dough. If you plan to do a lattice top, as pictured, prepare the dough strips as described in How to Make a Lattice Top for a Pie Crust.

rhubarb-berry-pie-2.jpg
4 Scoop fruit mixture into dough-lined pie dish.

rhubarb-berry-pie-3.jpg
5 If you would like a lattice top, weave strips of pie dough over the top of the fruit-filled pie dish as described in How to Make a Lattice Top for a Pie Crust. (If you would like a solid top for your pie, place the second rolled-out pie dough crust on top of the pie.) Press ends of strips into the rim of the bottom crust. Trim the edges to 1/2-inch. Fold the edges back over themselves and crimp to seal. If you are using a solid top crust, score the top to create air vents.

rhubarb-berry-pie-4.jpg
6 To protect the crust edges from burning, cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or an aluminum pie protector. Bake in the middle rack for 25 minutes. Remove the foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, until the top is golden and the juices are bubbling. Cool completely before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

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19 Comments

This look so good! I love rhubarb! Now if only I had someone around to help me eat something like this.

Posted by: Amanda on May 19, 2007 2:04 AM

Yes, I love fruit pie season and I'm drooling over the this one.

Posted by: Mary on May 19, 2007 4:14 AM

I don't think I ever would have come up with this particular combination on my own, but it looks wonderful! I'm not sure If any of our local stores carry marrionberries, but reg'lar ol' blackberries just hit the shelves here, so definitely something I'm gonna try!

Posted by: Jerry on May 19, 2007 5:06 AM

Looks very good, I've always used a little strawberry Jello (1-2 tsps roughly) instead of the tapioca in my rhubarb pies. keeps it from being to runny and gives a nice color.

Posted by: Eric on May 19, 2007 6:53 AM

This looks wonderful, we just made a strawberry rhubarb pie and it was delicious- if only I could serve it without it falling apart!

Posted by: Mercedes on May 20, 2007 5:59 AM

That aluminum pie protector is very interesting, Elise!
The pie looks absolutely divine.

Posted by: Patricia Scarpin on May 21, 2007 6:30 AM

Having never purchased rubarb, any suggestions on how to choose a good bunch and also how to prepare it to go in a pie?
thanks!

Posted by: Liz on May 21, 2007 8:15 AM

I adore rhubarb and grew up with it, but rhubarb is impossible to get here in West Texas... I can buy frozen though. Anyone tried it with frozen rhubarb and can give me any hints on if you have to change anything in the recipe?

Posted by: Karen on May 21, 2007 8:34 AM

Who could resist. Two of my favorite flavors in one pie. Thanks for reminding everyone to drain the berries thoroughly. I think we've all had "pie soup" before.

Posted by: Nancy on May 21, 2007 10:18 AM

I've never made rhubarb pie before. I'm not good at the rhubarb part but I really want to try this one. It looks delicious.

Posted by: Chigiy on May 21, 2007 8:55 PM

I love pie!! This recipe (or more accurately, this picture) is definitely giving me the urge to bake one!! Thanks.

Posted by: dani spies on May 22, 2007 9:59 AM

May I just say: rhubarb pies are glorious! I've always used cornstarch instead of the tapioca for my pies - is there a significant difference? I have also used an aluminum crust protector before, and never saw a difference with the way my crust turned out. Just for fun, my mom and I love to glaze the crust with a little egg yolk and water, with some nice big sugar crystals on top.

Posted by: Amy on May 22, 2007 11:40 AM

My mother-in-law just brought me a bag full of rhubarb. Joy! I made some sauce which I used to make strawberry-rhubarb smoothies. A big hit. My grandmother used to make a Mennonite dish called weraniki, essentially a dry-curd cheese filled dough pocket, boiled and served with white cream gravy. Sometimes she'd run out of the cheese filling and the last few she'd fill with thick rhubarb sauce or jam. Sweet, tart and savory all together! Heaven! We'd fight for the rhubarb-stuffed waraniki!

Posted by: Bonnie on May 23, 2007 7:21 AM

This brings to mind the pie my aunt made years ago . She made a Pineapple Rhubarb pie that was the best I've ever eaten of all pies. I was too young then to think to ask for the recipe, but have been hoping to find a recipe for that combo on internet, very hard to find. Anyone have a good one like this? If so, please write me at snapdragonestate {At} gmail dot com
I'm not sure if she used tapioca in it, I didnt think so. Thanks! in advance. Linda

Posted by: Linda on May 24, 2007 3:45 PM

Thanks for sharing your experimentations with the ingredients. I usually favor the old-fashioned strawberry-rhubarb combo but would love try to other berries as well.

Posted by: Susan from Food "Blogga" on May 25, 2007 10:42 AM

Elise, where did you find the pie crust protector? I've never seen one before and would love to have one. :)

Thanks,
Gira

Posted by: Gira on May 29, 2007 4:17 PM

Hi Gira - My life changed for the better when a friend introduced me to the pie protector. You can get one through at Amazon.com. I think I found mine at a roadside fruit market in the Sierra Foothills (in California). You can also use foil, and shape it around the edges.

Posted by: Elise on May 29, 2007 4:24 PM

I just made this for my boyfriend's birthday yesterday. It was fantastic! The only thing I would change next time I make it (and I will make it again!) is using significantly more fruit for the filling-- but I just like thicker, more filling heavy fruit pies.

Posted by: jillian on May 30, 2007 6:42 PM

I added a fun twist to this for my husband's birthday. He loves rhubarb blackberry pie so I made him a personalized berry birthday pie using mini alphabet cookie cutters. It was my first time and I totally suggest trying it:

http://www.merrimentdesign.com/personalized-birthday-rhubarb-berry-pie.php

Thanks, Elise, for this recipe!

Posted by: Kathy on July 8, 2008 6:42 AM

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