Strawberry-Rhubarb Deep-Dish Pie

Ingredients

• 2 pints strawberries
• 1 lb rhubarb (without tops, or can use frozen)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (to thicken it)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pastry for double-crust pie (*see notes)
• 1 tablespoon butter (or margarine, if you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. 1

   Hull strawberries, cut each in half. Cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces (or if using frozen, thaw and drain).

2. 2

   In large bowl, gently toss berries and rhubarb with sugar, flour, tapioca, vanilla extract, and salt.

3. 3

   Let strawberry-rhubarb mixture stand 30 minutes to soften tapioca, stir occasionally.

4. 4

   * While waiting, prepare pastry dough (*Pie Crust: my favorite personal recipe is 2 cups flour + 6-7 tablespoons of Crisco butter flavor shortening, mashed together till forms crumbles and a few tablespoons of ice cold water stirred in until it forms a dough, then divided into 2 balls, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled until you're ready to roll it into pie crusts).

5. 5

   Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. 6

   Roll out dough, put one crust in deep pie plate, fill pie with berries mixture, Top with bits of butter.

7. 7

   Roll 2nd crust and cut into 10 strips -- 5 will go one direction, other 5 will cross over first 5 to form a lattice (a picture would be worth 1000 words here). Press/crimp sides of pie. Brush lattice surface with milk.

8. 8

   Bake in oven for 50 mins.or until it looks golden brown on top. (Keep a baking sheet under pie pan in case of juices flowing over side of pie dish).

9. 9

   Should let pie stand about an hour to cool down a bit and let juices set, but I have a hard time waiting THAT long.