Serves: 8
Prep time: 40 minutes (+ 3 hours refrigeration time)
Cook time: 1 hour
Equipment: 1.5 L pie dish
Ingredients
Vanilla-bean pastry
375g (2 ½ cups) plain all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt flakes
225g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
½ cup ice-cold water, extra as needed
1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp milk, for egg wash
Pie filling
500g strawberries, hulled
400g rhubarb, cut into 3cm pieces
1 ¼ cups raw caster sugar, extra for topping
1/3 cup cornflour
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp salt flakes
Method
For the pastry
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and rub in with fingertips; you should still have some pea-size chunks of butter remaining. Add the vinegar and vanilla paste, then enough cold water to form a rough dough that holds together. Turn onto a clean worksurface and shape into a rectangle with your hands or a pastry scrapper. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once chilled, roll the dough into a rectangle on a floured work surface, then fold into thirds, folding the top to the middle, then the bottom over to enclose. Turn the dough one quarter turn and repeat, rolling out the dough and folding into thirds. Repeat once more, then cut the dough in half. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
For the filling
Cut any small strawberries in half and larger strawberries into quarters. Add to a bowl with the remaining ingredients, and toss to coat evenly in the sugar. Cover and leave to macerate.
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan-forced. Roll out one piece of chilled dough into a 40cm circle then press into the greased baking dish, trimming any overhanging pastry. Roll out the other piece of dough to roughly the same size, then use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to cut 2cm-wide strips.
Spoon in the strawberry rhubarb filling, then layer half the pastry strips vertically on top. Add the remaining strips horizontally, gently folding back alternating pieces as you weave a lattice-top. Trim the excess pastry, then brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with a little more sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the filling in bubbling and the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Cool and dust with icing sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or warm custard.
Cook's Note: For the perfect slice, cool the pie for at least 2 hours to allow the filling to firm up before cutting.
Rustic Charm Collection
by Mason Cash
The Rustic Charm collection brings a soft, countryside feel to your kitchen, inspired by the cosy character of traditional French kitchens. With calming neutral shades, a gentle heart detail, and a lovely mix of matt and glossy textures, each piece adds warmth and charm to everyday moments.
