strawberry rhubarb pie

Last week, I shared one of my two rhubarb recipes, Rhubarb Crisp. This week, I'm going to bring out the big guns and introduce you to Strawberry Rhubarb Pie like you've never had it before.....unless you just happen to already have this very recipe, in which case you'll probably want to just click to the next blog on your list.

With this recipe, there will no longer be any question as to where I stand on the whole cream cheese issue. So far we've seen it turn up in enchiladas, soup, and now pie.

Not only is it a perfect compliment for the strawberries and rhubarb, but one could argue that a nice layer of sweetened cream cheese just might keep your pie crust from getting soggy.

Let's hear it for cream cheese with a purpose!




Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

1 baked 9" pie shell

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar - I used powdered sugar this time
Mix together and spread in bottom and up sides of cooled pie shell.

2 cups rhubarb cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 of a 10 oz package of frozen strawberries
lemon juice - I did not use this and there is no amount given on my recipe
red food color - I used one drop only, as fakey, bright red pie is not happy pie
3 heaping tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with a bit of water to thin it out
1 pint fresh, sliced strawberries - I used more than a pint

In a saucepan, combine rhubarb with 1/4" of water and simmer till soft. Remove from heat. Add sugar and food coloring, then add frozen berries, lemon and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Cool and then add fresh strawberries. Cool completely and then add to pie shell. Chill till firm.

In my usual habit of recipe skimming, I missed the fact that the cornstarch amount was 3 heaping tablespoons, and so my pie turned out a bit runny. I'm pretty sure that extra bit of cornstarch would have solved the problem.

I'm really looking forward to making the recipes that were kindly left in the comments of the rhubarb crisp post. They all look delicious, and once I've worked my way through them, my freezer stash should be pretty much gone.