Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Mascarpone Cream
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Serves: 10
 
This recipe makes one 10-inch pie.
Ingredients
For the crust:
  • 470g (or 3¾ cup) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon of table salt
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 340g (or 1½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 6 tablespoons of buttermilk, or a little more if needed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
  • 600g or (4 cups chopped) rhubarb
  • 420g (or 3 cups strawberries sliced) strawberries
  • 150g (or ¾ cup) granulated sugar
  • 55g (or ¼ cup) dark brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 45g (or ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To finish the pie:
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water (this is your egg wash)
  • more granulated sugar for sprinkling
For the mascarpone cream:
  • 250g (or a little over a cup) mascarpone cheese
  • 125g (or ½ cup + 1 teaspoon) whipping cream
  • 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Start with the pie crust:
  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolk, buttermilk and vanilla. Add this mixture to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together in small clumps (if the dough does not come together, add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk). The dough should still be crumbly.
  3. Place two pieces of plastic wrap on your counter and dump the crumbly dough on top of it. Use your hands to press the dough into two flat discs, wrap tightly in the plastic and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.
Once the dough has been in the fridge for 10 minutes, proceed with the filling:
  1. Wash, top and tail the rhubarb and cut it into 1-cm or ½-inch pieces. Wash, hull and quarter the strawberries.
  2. Combine the rhubarb and strawberries in a large bowl. Add the sugars, the salt, the corn starch and vanilla. Stir to combine, then set aside. As the fruit mixture sits, the fruit will release some of its juices. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (standard oven setting).
  3. Once the dough has properly chilled, remove it from the fridge. Place one of the dough discs between two sheets of baking parchment and roll it out to a thickness of about 5-mm or one fifth of an inch.
  4. Carefully peel off the top layer of baking parchment and put it to the side. Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour, place the parchment back on top and flip the dough so that the piece of parchment that was just on top is now underneath the dough. Carefully peel off the top piece of parchment again, flip the dough into the unbuttered, 25-cm/10-inch pie plate and remove the remaining piece of parchment. Ease the dough down into the pie plate, then trim the edges with a sharp knife.
  5. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the fruit filling out of the bowl and into the pie crust. Discard any remaining fruit juices.
  6. Place the second dough disc between two sheets of baking parchment and roll it out to a thickness of about 5-mm or one fifth of an inch. Cut 1-cm or ½-inch strips, lay 5 strips over the filling, then weave another 4 or 5 strips through in an under-and-over pattern.
  7. Brush the lattice top and the edges of the pie with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.
  8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 175°C/350°F and bake for another 40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbly and the lattice top has turned a gorgeous golden brown.
Once the pie is in the oven, whip up the mascarpone cream:
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla. Mix together until smooth and thick.
  2. Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Serve with the mascarpone cream. Enjoy!
Notes
If you don’t have a large food processor, it’s best to half the crust recipe and mix the dough up in two batches to prevent your machine from jamming. If you don’t have a food processor at all, you can also rub the ingredients together with your fingers in the order stated in the recipe, or use a dough cutter instead.
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2014/04/15/strawberry-rhubarb-pie-mascarpone-cream/