Brent's Birthday Pie (Rhubarb Berry Pie)

In honor of my wonderful husband's 30th birthday, I made him a pie.  Not just any pie, but the first pie I've ever made from scratch all by myself.  I was pretty pleased with the results.  My crust could use some work, but I can't be too disappointed since it was the first I've ever made.  Really, it just needs refinement.  I didn't fold the edge of the crust under far enough because I was afraid.  This resulted in the pie having a bizarre upper edge due to my deep dish pan.  The failures were purely aesthetic though.  It tasted great and held it's shape when sliced.  Most importantly, it got the hubby seal of approval. 

Rhubarb Berry Pie
Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book
Yield: 1 pie

Ingredients:
1 recipe for single crust pie pastry (see below)
1 recipe crumb topping
6 cups fruit ( I used about 3 cups chopped rhubarb and 3 cups blackberries + strawberry halves)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Prepare and roll out pie pastry.  Line a 9 inch pie plate with the pastry.  Trim and crimp the edge as desired.  Prepare crumb topping and set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix fruit with sugar.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Add 1/3 cup sifted flour and stir.
4. Transfer the rhubarb mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate.  Sprinkle crumb topping over pie, avoiding the crust.
5. To prevent over-browning, cover the edges of the pie with foil.  Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  This pie is best after it has cooled for several hours.  (It is especially good the day after, if you can wait that long!)

Single Crust Pie Pastry- Food processor method
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup butter, diced and chilled
4-5 tbsp ice-cold water

Directions:
1. Add flour, salt, and sugar to food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add butter.  Before processing, dredge the butter cubes with flour to coat.  This helps them stay separate.  In the end, you want bits of visible butter in your dough.  Pulse with the butter, about 10 seconds, until the mixture is crumbly.
2. With food processor running (should not exceed 30 seconds), add ice water through the shoot in a slow steady stream just until dough forms.  Do not add too much water. 
3. Dump out contents onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  With minimal touching of the pastry and using the sides of the wrap to shape, form dough into a flat disk.  Let dough rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.  Roll out on a floured surface to desired thickness, transfer to pan, and prepare edge.


Crumb Topping
 Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Stir together flour and sugar. 
2. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Berries with sugar.  This step brings out the fruit juices.

Berries mixed with flour to make filling.

Before...

After!

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)

I have had plans to make a rhubarb upside down cake since the first Farmer's Market of the season.  I've been carrying around some reference recipes, waiting for rhubarb to show up at the market.  We missed a couple of weeks but made it this weekend and scored some beautiful pink young rhubarb.  I have never made anything with it but I knew I liked it with strawberries in pie.  I've also never made an upside down cake, so this is at least two firsts for me.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10... or maybe a 10 if just judging on flavor.

When I pulled the cake from the oven, I thought it was a failure.  However, closer examination and tasting later led me to change my mind.  It has taken all of our willpower to make it last multiple days and not gobble it all up at once.  I would make some changes in the future to make it prettier, mainly using less sugar and vegan butter, but I do think I'm on to a great recipe!  Maybe if my dad is lucky- this will be his Father's Day gift.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)
by: Me!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 lb rhubarb, washed, trimmed, and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp vegan butter, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup non dairy milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the topping (which ends up on the bottom of the cake) by stirring together the first set of ingredients (4 tbsp melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp coarse salt) until moist and crumbly.  Set aside
2. Butter a deep 9 inch round cake pan.  Dot the bottom of the pan with 4 tbsp of vegan butter.
3. Toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of sugar, let stand for 2 minutes.  This helps bring the rhubarb's natural juice out.  Toss again and spread into the pan.  Top with the remaining sugar from the rhubarb bowl.
4. Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl.
5. Combine oil, milk, vanilla, orange zest and juice, and vinegar in a small bowl.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.  You may have leftover batter.  Allow room in the pan for the cake to rise (leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch).
7. Top the batter in the pan with the crumbly topping.
8. Bake the cake on a center rack for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted almost the whole way in comes out clean.  The bottom of the cake with the rhubarb and butter will stay gooey.
9.  Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes.  Flip it over too soon and it will be molten and dangerous; flip it too late and it will be glued to the pan.

Notes:
- I would reduce the butter used to dot the pan by at least 1/2.
-I would also suggest reducing the sugar mixed with the rhubarb by 1/4 of a cup.
-The top of my cake was a little too gooey for it to look pretty, so that's why I suggest the above.
-My cake pan was too full and the batter spilled over the sides of the pan, also contributing to it's ugliness.
-This cake ended up being very, very good.  It's mild and moist.  You could get away with cutting the sugar in the batter too.

Rhubarb mixed with sugar.

Pan dotted with vegan butter.

Juicy rhubarb in the pan.

Oops... it spilled over!

Not as pretty as I was shooting for.  You can see the potential.