I stake claim to expertise in few genres, pie happens to be one of them. Name the filling, crust style, amount of time and you will likely get something always delicious. My overwhelming need to please took control this past week and I rendered my first strawberry rhubarb streusel/crumble out of necessity. In a matter on less than 90 minutes I was running out the door to a Manhattan bound train to share the fruits of my labor, having decided to go through with the plan 82 minutes prior.
The practices in my own kitchen home have been labeled a bit unorthodox to most of my enthusiasts. A friend will call me for advice during the twelfth hour of preparation for a gathering and I have to proceed with caution. I am a part of the NYC collective that has the makings for almost any impromptu occasion, making my suggestions seem out of reach to some of my nearest and dearest. The list would sound non-believable if I shared the meals I could prep at an almost last call moment. From my pantry of condiments, preservers, pickled items and cupboard staples you would never think I wasn’t always at a nearby farmers market. The truth is I haven’t been to a proper market in NYC for over a year (life). With all that being said, I still stop into my trusted grocers every week for the seasons best performers and make them guest stars in my rotating menu.
Let us get back to why I flexed my pie knowledge in such short notice; I felt a bit called out. The absence of something I could make by my own hands would be noticeable since this crew is always singing my praises. I discovered some part of me revels in the idea of championing for myself. I pieced together my knowledge of a base piecrust, a fruitful spring filling and a never before made topping to bring something that left my afternoon crew in awe.
There is plenty of good news for everyone reading, all you have to do is follow my already laid out recipe for strawberry rhubarb here, just make double the filling. The crust recipe I have documented will render you two amazing base crusts then follow this Ina Garten recipe for a streusel/crumble topping.
You need to make two of these beauties for backup because I served this to four of the most svelte people I know and they devoured this recipe in all of eight minutes. Moral lesson? There will never be a greater gift than the one you committed to make happen yourself. This includes store bought pie from a bakery since it’s still amazing pie and homemade by someone’s hands. #eatmorepie