Auntie Iris Marie's Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie

This simple fruit pie is delicious. It can be served 

plain or with whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut in 1 inch pieces

boiling water

1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

2 Tablespoons flour

1 uncooked 9 inch pie crust

whipped cream (optional)

Topping:

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

Method:

Preheat oven to 375*.

Place the rhubarb in a glass bowl. Cover with boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Mix sugar, egg, butter and flour, with an electric mixer, until smooth. 

Strain rhubarb.

Gently add the strawberries and rhubarb to the batter and mix. 

Pour into the unbaked pie crust.

Use a fork to mix the topping ingredients. Sprinkle over the uncooked pie. 

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted half way between the center 

and the edge comes out clean.

Cool. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (1/2 butter & 1/2 shortening)

3 - 4 tablespoons chilled water

Method:

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, or two knives, cut in butter and shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Next, use your fingers to continue mixing until the flour resembles cornmeal. 

Sprinkle one tablespoon of the water over a part of the flour mixture and gently toss with a fork.  Push to side of bowl. Repeat until all of the flour is moistened. Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough with your hands. Roll dough from the center to the edges, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Wrap pastry around rolling pin. Unroll from pin over a 9 inch pie pan. Ease dough into the pie pan, while being careful not to stretch the pastry. Trim dough to a 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate, folding under extra pastry around the edge. Use fingers to pinch dough into a scalloped edge. (Save leftover scraps of dough to make "crust cookies".)

 Notes: When my husband was a child, his mother made "cookies" with leftover pieces of pie dough. As soon as the pie comes out of the oven, I place a tray of crust pieces, sprinkled with cinnamon  or colored sugar, in the preheated oven. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. (Greg is delighted when I do this.)