Peach Rhubarb Pie

May 1, 2016

Some people go crazy trying to manufacture unleavened desserts during the Days of Unleavened Bread, but generally I gravitate (must like for gluten-free things) towards naturally unleavened recipes.  Pie is one of those glorious things.

I went home for Passover, the Night to Be Much Observed, and the first Day of Unleavened Bread this year, as has become my custom.  It was…kind of crazy, with lots of people in and out of the house, four kids four and under to keep track of a lot of the time (one of them teething mightily), and hordes of people to be fed seemingly every night.

Kansas this time of year is really a crapshoot weather-wise, and for the most part I really lucked out.  We had two beautiful days, then one insanely windy day (which isn’t unusual).

Three gorgeous sunsets.

Actual water in the creek (it’s been bone-dry the past few years).  Overall, the weather was very kind to me.

For the Night to Be Much Observed (or Remembered, which is the same night as the Jewish Seder), we needed to come up with a recipe to feed a lot of people and complement the chocolate toffee matzo that someone else was bringing.  Extra points if the babies could all eat it (which meant everything had to be organic, non-GMO, and with very little sugar.  After some discussion, I settled on peach rhubarb pie.  My mom had strawberries and that was an option, but I felt like the combo of peaches and rhubarbs was a little unique, so couldn’t resist.

A few notes on this recipe—this is a VERY forgiving recipe, in terms of quantities, length of time, etc.  That makes it a little challenging to give exact amounts or baking time (which will also very much depend on the crust you use).  Plus, you’ll want to adjust some of the ingredients to your own personal taste (specifically the sugar; this was a bit tart for my personal taste, but was kept that way for the babies).

I was using fresh rhubarb, but peaches that had already been blanched and diced very fine, then frozen (picked naturally, not from a store).  This means that they had a TON more juice and flavor than the peaches you’ll get frozen from the store.  If you’re using frozen peaches (which is totally fine for this recipe), you’ll want to add water (or some other liquid, like apple or peach juice) and probably will need more sugar.  Same may be true if you’re using fresh peaches, depending on how juicy or ripe they are.

Put the diced peaches and rhubarb in a medium saucepan (with whatever liquid it needs—this picture should give you a good idea of what it should look like) and cook on medium-low for several minutes.  The amount of time it takes will depend on a few things:  if any of your fruit is still frozen; if any of it is fresh, vs. already cooked (the rhubarb takes a while to soften); and how much liquid you have.  I’d estimate it took my mostly frozen peaches and fresh rhubarb probably 15 minutes total.

Once everything was un-frozen and liquidy, I added the sugar and kept stirring for a few minutes, then added two heaping tablespoons of cornstarch, cinnamon, almond extract, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.  I raised the temperature to medium and let it come to an almost-boil (the slow kind, not an aggressive boil) to thicken it up, then reduced the heat back to medium-low for a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Make (or unpackage) your pie crust and place one of them in the pie pan.  Then pour the thickened fruit mixture into the pie crust.

Working quickly, cover with the other pie crust, seal the edges, and then crimp as your vanity/OCD dictates (my sister did this one, so it’s pretty much perfect.  One REALLY important thing to remember is to vent it well!  Take a knife and stab several places on the pie—you can make this a decorative pattern if you’re so inclined.  I tried to make a flower but it was…less than impressive.

Bake for 30 minutes and then check the pie.  You may need to re-cut the vents because they’ve sealed over.  Make sure the pie has enough venting, or it will kind of explode or spill out in places you don’t want.  It will probably need longer than 30 minutes, so put it back in the oven until it’s golden brown around the edges and on top.

Let that puppy sit for a while.  At least 20-30 minutes before serving.  For me, I hate hot fruit so I let it sit even longer.

If you’re one of those weirdos who likes ice cream on pie, by all means go ahead.  Serve warm, cold, at midnight, for breakfast the next morning (if there’s any left).  Basically, eat it til it’s gone.

Peach Rhubarb Pie

A few notes on this recipe—this is a VERY forgiving recipe, in terms of quantities, length of time, etc.  That makes it a little challenging to give exact amounts or baking time (which will also very much depend on the crust you use).  Plus, you’ll want to adjust some of the ingredients to your own personal taste (specifically the sugar; this was a bit on the tart side for my personal taste so the babies could eat it).

• 1 quart of frozen peaches (picked yourself is great, but store-bought fine too)
• Optional if needed: water or apple juice for liquid, if your peaches don’t have some
• 1-2 cups of fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced
• 3/4 cup of sugar (to taste; ours wasn’t overly sweet)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch (preferably organic, non-GMO)
• 2 pie crusts (top and bottom); I always use this one (go light on whole wheat with a top crust)

Thaw or at least partially thaw the peaches, and chop into smaller pieces if they’re large slices. Add the peaches and rhubarb pieces to a medium saucepan, on medium to medium-high heat (depending on how thawed the fruit is–if it’s still in frozen chunks then heat more gently at first). Once the fruit is thawed and juicy, cook on medium heat and stir frequently until the rhubarb and peaches are soft. If your peaches don’t have a lot of juice naturally, add some water or apple juice (or something similar) to make the mixture the right consistency—see the pictures above to see what it should look like. Cook on medium-low for several minutes.  The amount of time it takes will depend on a few things:  if any of your fruit is still frozen; if any of it is fresh, vs. already cooked (the rhubarb takes a while to soften); and how much liquid you have.  I’d estimate it took my mostly frozen peaches and fresh rhubarb probably 15 minutes total.

Once everything is un-frozen and liquidy, add the sugar and keep stirring for a few minutes until good and hot.  Then add the cornstarch, cinnamon, almond extract, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.  Raise the temperature to medium and let it come to an almost-boil (the slow kind, not an aggressive boil) to thicken it up, then reduced the heat back to medium-low for a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Make (or unpackage) your pie crust and place one of them in the pie pan (you don’t want to do this ahead of time because your dough will dry out).  Then pour the thickened fruit mixture into the pie crust.  Working quickly, cover with the other pie crust, seal the edges, and then crimp however you’d like.  One important step not to skip is venting the top crust—take a knife and stab several places in the crust, either in a decorative pattern or just at random.  This will keep it from exploding or spilling over elsewhere.

Bake for 30 minutes and then check the pie.  You may need to re-cut the vents because they’ve sealed over.  It will probably need longer than 30 minutes, so put it back in the oven until it’s golden brown around the edges and on top.  Once removed from the oven, let it cool for 20-30 minutes before serving, so the filling can thicken and set nicely.