Sour Cream Rhubarb Oatmeal Streusel Pie

 

Rhubarb.  It's the gift that keeps on giving this Summer.  I've made it into tarts, cakes, and tiramisu; slathered it on grilled salmon, and who can forget those gorgeous Foxy Ladies?!!!

This time around though, it's all about pie.  And rightly so because it's been ages since I've built a pie.  Remember the chocolate peanut butter birthday pie?  That was utterly dreamy.  And this rhubarb pie is too.  Creamy, almost custard like filling, not too sweet, balanced between a tender buttery crust and a brown sugar buttery oatmeal streusel topping.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and well, it's Summer dessert perfection.

You may have guessed by now that I love feeding people.  Be it a hungry brunch crowd, or leisurely afternoon lunches on the patio with the ladies, or just my mom and I gathered 'round my small dining table.  On this occasion I gathered together some of my friends I hadn't seen all Summer, and we sat in the shade of my tall, tall trees eating glorious pie and ice cream.  What better way to spend a Summer afternoon? 

I've declared before that one of my goals is to make really good pie crust.  Some people want to go to the moon or become President.  But I want to make really good pie crust.  And I'm off to a good start.  I think the trick is to add a little more ice water than the recipe tells you, so the dough is quite soft.  And make sure every thing is cold, from the butter and shortening, to the egg and water.  And don't over handle the dough.  Chilling it for an hour or so before rolling it out seems to help too.  This pastry turned out well, no cracks to be found!  And I have more pie dough in the freezer awaiting my next pie concoction.  I've been dreaming of peaches....

The question remains on what to do with the rest of the 'barb that keeps growing in the garden.  You're probably getting tired of blog posts about rhubarb, even if they are of pie!  You want chocolate, don't you?  Well, I've got something up my sleeve for that, don't worry.  In the meantime I guess I will freeze the rest of the rhubarb for days in mid Winter, when I'd dreaming of eating pie and ice cream, under the shade of my tall, tall trees.

Sour Cream Rhubarb Oatmeal Streusel Pie

For the pastry:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup cold shortening
2 tsp vinegar
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/2 Gala apple, peeled and diced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

For the streusel;
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
3/4 - 1 cup large flake oatmeal

To make the pastry, in the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and salt and fats.  Pulse until the dough is crumbly.  In a 1/2 cup measure, add the egg and vinegar and enough cold water to fill. With the motor running, add the liquid to the flour mixture.  Then add a teeny bit more cold water.  The dough should come together and be soft, not crumbly at all.  On a floured surface, divide the dough into 3 and form each into a disc.  Put one in the fridge for an hour or so, and put the other two in the freezer for later use.  Alternatively, you can leave the dough in the fridge overnight, and remove 30 minutes before you want to roll your pastry out.  When ready, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, drape over your pie plate, and pinch the edges and trim excess dough.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For the filling, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and pour into the prepared pie shell. Bake 25 minutes and remove from oven.  Combine the streusel ingredients in a large bowl.  You want it to be quite buttery and crumbly.  If too buttery add more oatmeal.  Sprinkle the streusel on top of the pie and return to oven to bake for 25 minutes longer, until golden and gorgeous.  May be a good idea to line the bottom of your oven with foil in case it runs over like mine did.  Let pie cool before cutting into wedges.  Absolutely serve with vanilla ice cream.  Serves 6-8.