Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cups stemmed and sliced strawberries
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of orange zest
• 1 double-crust 9-inch pie dough recipe, like this one or your favorite pie crust recipe

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Assemble the pie filling: In a large bowl, gently combine the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca, salt, and orange zest. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Roll out the bottom crust and fill the pie: Roll out one disk of pastry dough and line the bottom of a pie dish with it. Trim to 1/2 inch from the edge. Transfer the filling into the crust and spread out evenly.
4. Top the pie: Roll out the second disk of pastry dough and place over the pie. Trim the edges to an inch from the edge of the pie dish. Tuck the top crust edges over the bottom crust edges and use your fingers or a fork to crimp the top and bottom edges together. Cut slits in the top for the steam to escape.
5. (If you want, for a nice glaze on your pie, use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of egg white or cream over the top of the pie.)
6. Bake: Place pie on the middle rack of the 400 degrees F oven with a baking sheet on a lower rack to catch any juices that might spill over.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 40-50 minutes longer (50 to 60 minutes longer if doing a 10-inch pie). The pie is done when the crust is nicely browned and the filling (that you can see through the venting holes) thick and bubbly.
8. Cool and serve: Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
9. Serve warm or cold. If you do cool to room temperature, the juices will have more time to thicken. Pie can also be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for 5 days.