Fresh Rhubarb for Pie

It's finally that time of year.

When the Indians are winning and winning and winning, for once? When the sun finally begins to shine for short periods during the day? When you can walk out the door without a heavy coat? When bathing suit season starts looming in the semi-near future? Yes yes yes and yes (but we'll forget about the last one).

All of these wonderful things are true, but more importantly, it's the time of year when fresh produce starts popping up in the garden. This is the sweetest time of year, the time to shine for those emerging fruits and vegetables, because after a month or two we'll have eaten them in so much excess with so many left overs that we can't give them away. And they're still growing. For example, who even wants to look at a zucchini in September? No one, that's who. But not yet. Now the early vegetables are stars. Now is their big debut onto the table and into our hearts.

So, today I bring you fresh-from-the-garden rhubarb.

Looks like a rhubarb pie is in order...

 Now, the only time I like pies is when they have a crumbly top. But my family demands double crusted pie. So, I give you a compromise.

Crust & Crumble Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:
 2 pie crusts
2 cups sugar
2/3 cups flour
6 cups of 1/2 inch pieces of fresh rhubarb
1/2 TB butter, for sprinkling
 For crumble:
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup firm butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Lie one pie pan with crust. Mix all pie ingredients together and put into pie. Sprinkle butter over the half of the pie that will be covered by crust.

Cut the remaining pie crust in half and cover half the pie with it. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch flutes in the edges.
Mix crumble ingredients together with a fork until crumbly. Place on other half of pie.

Bake for 15 minutes, then cover edges of the crust with foil. This is to keep the crust from burning and getting too crispy. Watch your hands and forearms, it's easy to burn yourself while putting the foil on. If you are accident-prone like myself, I suggest taking the pie out of the oven to put the foil on.

Turn oven down to 350 and bake for 25 to 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 2 hours. Serve with lots of vanilla ice cream and coffee.