This is probably one of the easiest pies to put together. There is no bottom crust and since it doesn’t have an intricate lattice top, there’s less work for the baker. Not that there’s anything wrong with a proper bottom dough & latticed pie, I would never suggest that. However, for this kind of soft and oozy-when-baked fruit, I prefer a no bottom crust pie, as the excess juices can easily lead to said bottom collapsing.

Since I had the most wonderfully sweet and flavourful strawberries on hand and I had just managed to snatch a few rhubarb stalks, I decided to use them for this pie. I really do like how strawberries and rhubarb go together, they really do compliment each other in taste and texture; granted, not the most original combination, but hey, clichés are clichés because they are true.

I like to serve this pie warm, about 15 minutes after removing it from the oven and it would probably be quite decadent with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream dolloped on top should you have that on hand. If not, it doesn’t really matter, as this pie is very nice on its own. My husband tells me it goes really nice with a glass of chilled Mosel Kabinett Riesling and I’ll have to take his word for it as my dry pregnancy lately dictates pairing everything with sparkling mineral water and I’m pretty sure that sounds boring to most people.

Rhubarb & Strawberry Pie

For the dough:

100g/7 Tbsp butter, softened

100g/½ cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

190g/1 cup + 7 Tbsp flour

½ tsp baking powder

Beat the butter and the sugar with a mixer until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the egg, then add the flour, baking powder and mix just until combined. Remove dough, roll into a ball and flatten to obtain a disc. Wrap in parchment paper or cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the filling:

450g/½ lb rhubarb, chopped

700g/2 pints strawberries, hulled, left whole if small or halved if larger

6 Tbsp coconut sugar (light brown sugar or any other granulated sugar is fine)

1 Tbsp potato starch (or corn starch)

1 Tbsp milk, for brushing

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a cast iron skillet or an ovenproof deep pie dish, toss the rhubarb with 1 Tbsp sugar and bake for 10-15 minutes, until softened. In a large bowl, toss strawberries with remaining sugar and starch and lightly mix everything until combined. Remove rhubarb from the oven, place strawberry mixture on top and give everything a mix with a wooden spatula or spoon.

To assemble and bake:

Remove dough from fridge and place on a lightly floured surface or on parchment paper; use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a disc large enough so as to cover the fruit in the skillet or dish; the edges will be uneven and that’s okay. Lift dough and set carefully on top of the fruit. There will be a little dough left over, so tuck the edges in so as to cover the fruit.

Lightly brush the top of the pie with a little milk then bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbling.