You must try this gluten free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie bursting with fresh, spring flavours! Mix either fresh or frozen strawberries and rhubarb with some quick cooking tapioca and raw cane sugar and bake it between layers of the Best Gluten Free Pie Crust!
Strawberry and rhubarb season seems a long way off as we watch our huge piles of snow slowly begin to melt away up here in Canada. However, when a friend who's vacationing in Florida messages me that she's been to a strawberry festival, I'm reminded that spring is just around the corner!
How do you make a strawberry rhubarb pie from scratch?
Mix the filling ingredients. Let that sit while you roll out the crust.
Pour the filling into the shell. Top with pats of butter if you're using it.
Cover with a top crust and pinch the edges together.
Bake your pie for 50 minutes at 375F.
Gluten Free Pie Crust
You'll want to hop over to the Best Gluten Free Pie Crust recipe to make the crust for this pie. There's a video with it, so you can see the texture of the dough and how it rolls out.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling
Make this gluten free pie filling with either fresh or frozen fruit and vegetable. Yes, rhubarb is a vegetable! The quick-cooking tapioca will thicken up the juices as you prepare the crust, and then even more so, as the pie bakes in the oven. Raw cane sugar overcomes the tartness of rhubarb and sweetens the pie pleasantly.
Why is my pie watery?
The quick-cooking tapioca specified in this recipe should thicken your pie up nicely. Once it has cooled, it should have a nice gelled consistency.
However, if your rhubarb or strawberries have more water than usual, a little more tapioca should solve the problem.
Allow the filling mixture to sit a few minutes while you prepare the crust. Then give it a stir to make sure that the tapioca is evenly distributed and the juices are absorbed. This is especially important when you're using frozen fruit.
Do you have to cook rhubarb before making a pie?
No, you do not need to cook rhubarb before making a pie. In fact, you shouldn't. Cooked rhubarb is very soft and runny. Freshly chopped rhubarb will hold its shape to the point of still being recognizable while it's cooked in the pie.
Can you eat rhubarb raw?
You can eat the stalk of the rhubarb plant raw, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's very tart! In fact, my daughter once used it to play a joke on a friend from a part of the world where rhubarb isn't grown. She stripped off the pink outer surface revealing a green interior, and presented it as celery! That may have been a mean trick, but the reaction was amusing!
Do not eat rhubarb leaves, as they are poisonous.
Can you freeze fresh cut rhubarb?
Rhubarb is one of the easiest things to freeze! The fresher it is, the better! When we owned our country acreage, I harvested rhubarb in season from the garden by our house. It didn't take long at all to put away enough for a few pies throughout the winter.
Simply wash the stalks, trim the ends, and chop them into chunks one-half to one-inch long. Seal them into freezer bags, squeezing out as much air as possible. Rhubarb will keep well in the freezer for a few months. Then, it's ready for pie whenever you're in the mood to make one.
Can I freeze rhubarb without cooking it?
Yes, definitely freeze rhubarb without cooking it! It's just so much easier that way!
It's fine to freeze cooked rhubarb, but it won't be good for making into pie once it's been cooked. Cooked rhubarb has an almost liquid consistency, so it will be runny when it's thawed.
Do you thaw frozen rhubarb before baking?
It's not necessary to completely thaw rhubarb before baking. I like to let mine sit, mixed with the other pie filling ingredients, for a few minutes. That gives the tapioca a little time to absorb the juices and for the flavours to blend. Also, a little thawing time will allow chunks of rhubarb pieces to break apart enough to be stirred. As long as the rhubarb and strawberries have partially thawed, there should not be a problem with the pie filling getting completely cooked by the time the crust is done.
Should you refrigerate strawberry rhubarb pie?
Yes, I recommend refrigerating your pie once it has cooled. Cover it with an airtight covering to keep it from drying out, and it should keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. You may want to allow it to come to room temperature before serving. I would not recommend reheating this pie.
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Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- gluten free pie crust for top and bottom
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 cup raw cane sugar
- 1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca
- dash fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons butter optional for dairy free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine fruit, sugar, tapioca, and salt. Let the mixture sit while you prepare your pastry. If you used frozen fruit, let the mixture sit until it is at least partially thawed and the sugar has begun to dissolve into juices.
- Roll out pastry for bottom pie crust, place it in a 9-inch pie plate, and trim the edges.
- Transfer fruit mixture into bottom crust in pie plate. Dot with butter.
- Roll out top crust and place it over the fruit. Trim and seal the edges. Poke a few holes in the top crust for ventilation.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is browned and centre is bubbly.
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