TODAY Food Club

Everyone pairs rhubarb with strawberries, but alone it is amazing. With a delicately tart flavor, the fruit in this pie practically melts in your mouth. The contrasting texture from the crust is wonderful with its flaky yet buttery goodness. I never used to love pie crust, but now I can't get enough of it. You'll love it too with my recipe!

Crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed

½ cup vegetable shortening

5-7 tablespoons cold water

Filling

8 cups rhubarb, sliced into ½ inch thick pieces

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup cornstarch

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of ½ an orange

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

2 tablespoons milk (I used almond)

3 tablespoons demerara sugar

Instructions

Make the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add shortening and butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse to combine. Add more water as needed, until the dough comes together when pressed. It should not be overly moist. Dump the dough onto plastic, wrap it up, forming it into a disc. Refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

After the dough has chilled, divide it into 2 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the crust so it is large enough to fir your pie pan. Press it into the pan. Roll the other half so it is large enough to cover the pie after being filled. Fold that half gently into quarters and place inside the pie pan. Put the pan with both crusts back in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice and zest. Stir until all of the ingredients are well combined.

Spoon the rhubarb into the pie shell. Try not to get too much of the juice. Scatter the butter over the top and spoon one spoonful of juice over the top if there is a lot left. DO NOT add all of the juice or your pie will be soupy. Place the top half of the crust over the fruit and press the top and bottom crust together firmly, creating a seal. Flute the edges if you would like. Brush with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes on a foil lined baking sheet to catch any bubbling juices. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 375 and continue baking for about 1 hour more, rotating halfway through if necessary, until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling vigorously. Cool completely in pan. Pie may be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen in pieces, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag. Thaw in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.