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Is there a reliable, relatively simple way to make firm rhubarb pie without gluing the fruit together with all-purpose flour?

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2 Answers

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The short answer is yes; the likely problem is that you are probably trying to use too much sugar. The sugar draws the liquid out of the rhubarb into the pie.

How I do it:

Preparing the rhubarb:

if it is "forced", commercially grown rhubarb with a bright pink skin, you just need to wash it, cut off the leaves and the bottom of the stem, and chop it up into pieces about 1/2" to 3/4" long.

If it is outdoor grown, cut off the leaf and peel off the skin before you chop it up into pieces about 1/2" to 3/4" long.

Put it in a dish and squeeze half a lemon over it. When you use it in the pie, leave the juice in the bottom of the bowl.

Sweet shortcrust pastry for one 8" pie:

2 oz Cookeen / Trex

5 oz self raising flour

2 teaspoons sugar

Water as needed

In a large bowl, work the sugar into the fat with a table knife, chopping the fat as you go. Add the flour and rub the fat into the mixture with your fingers. Add a tablespoon of water and work into the mix. dribble a little more water in a few drops at a time to get a workable dough, roll it out on a floured surface, ball it up, roll it out, and it should be ready to use this time.

I line a pie dish with the shortcrust pastry and leave pastry overlapping the edge of the dish (to fix the lid on). To stop the pastry going soppy, play a blowlamp over the bottom of the pastry - this is like baking the case "blind". Takes practice to get it right. Throw in your chunks of rhubarb, lightly scatter sugar over with a teaspoon - two or three teaspoons should be enough in a 8" pie dish. Fit the lid, make a couple of slits, brush with milk and bake in a preheated oven at 185 deg C / 365 deg F for 20 min.

My mother's rhubarb pie was always soggy because she used too much sugar. I don't have that problem.

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cornstarch or gelatin are two other options. Novices using flour tend to get into trouble by either using too much flour or not making a "weak" roue first. less is better.

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