Grandma’s Rhubarb Pie

Master8 is to blame for this dreadful photo. He ate my prop.

I had a brilliant plan. While Tracey was out for the day photographing a wedding, Grandma would come over and show me and the kids how to cook a heap of her recipes. It was important we cook a few recipes because Grandma was scooting off to my sister’s for a couple of months and I wanted to be able to post some of her fantastic recipes while she’s away.

Even more importantly, it would be a lovey afternoon of shared childminding and free grub.

The problem with my plan, as you may have deduced from the photo above, is when Tracey goes to a wedding she tends to take all the decent cameras with her. I had an old camera, but it’s broken – you press the button and it takes a photo maybe twenty/thirty seconds later. Plus all the photos I take with it are blurry – I need quality image stabilization.

No worries, I thought to myself, I’ll just take a pic when she comes home.

But when this Rhubarb pie came out of the oven the kids swamped me. They wanted it now.

New plan. I would divvy the pie up, saving one large slice to photograph creatively on a plate (by which I mean I would ask Tracey to take the shot).

The problem with this new plan was Master8’s newly discovered LOVE of rhubarb pie. When Tracey arrived home and I went to the fridge, all I had left was the glug above. He told me the next morning he’d been taking a spoonful of pie every time he walked through the kitchen.

I don’t blame him. Of all the pies I’ve made with Grandma lately, this is the one I want to do again really soon. Tracey, on the other hand, has a hankering for Grandma’s Spinach Pie, so you can guess which of these two pies I’ve made twice more in the three weeks since Grandma has been away.

What you need:

1kg rhubarb

3 green apples

1/2 cup water + 3 tablespoons water

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons arrowroot

1 tin passionfruit (or pulp of 3 fresh fruits)

2 or 3 sheets shortcrust pastry

1 egg white

3 tablespoons caster sugar

STEP ONE. Wash and trim rhubarb, cutting into 2cm pieces.

STEP TWO. Peel, core and chop the apples.

STEP THREE. In a saucepan combine rhubarb, apples, 1/2 cup water, sugar and ginger. Bring slowly to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

STEP FOUR. Blend arrowroot with 3 tablespoons of water and add to the saucepan and stir until mixture boils again. Remove from heat to cool, adding passionfruit pulp.

STEP FIVE. Line inside of pie dish with shortcrust pastry. While rhubarb mixture is cooling, put the pie dish in fridge for half an hour.

STEP SIX. Fill the pie dish with the cooled rhubarb mixture.

STEP SEVEN. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

STEP EIGHT. Cover with more shortcrust pastry, pinching edges together firmly. Brush top of pie with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar.

STEP NINE. Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 160 degrees for 20 minutes.

STEP TEN. Take a photo, quick!

 

(I’ll add a nice photo here when I make it next)

When not typing away here at the blog

or checking his stats every two minutes

Bruce Devereaux hangs out at his

‘BIG FAMILY little income’  Facebook Page.

 ’raising a family on little more than laughs’

2 Comments

  • I don’t have a pie dish but when I get one this & grandma’s spinach pie will be gracing our table.
    Yum

    • Well worth the expense. I have an apple pie coming up too which you’ll kick yourself if you can’t make. I’m making it again tonight for the kids.

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