Gingered Apple and Rhubarb Pie

This pie is delicious! Though, when I started out, I had no intention of developing a new recipe. I had only desired to make use of the “best deal at the market,” a five-pound bag of delicious late-season apples sold for $3, with some early season rhubarb, sold at the grocer for nearly $7 per pound and wastefully suffering from too long a stay in my fridge. I try to always make recipes with ingredients that share a harvest season but, because apples store well through long and cold New York winters, they bridge the gap to rhubarb’s late spring harvest. Thus, these two unlikely stars can deliciously coexist in the market and in this pie.

I am tempted to re-title this post, “How to Make an Apple Pie without a Recipe,” as is a common headline trick for food bloggers. Any post that attempts to teach you how to break from recipes focuses on balancing flavors and textures. In most apple pie recipes, the balance is between the tartness of the apples and the quantity of added sugar. Because the sugars in apples break down more as they cook, making the finished product sweeter than a taste test while raw, tart Granny Smith apples are commonly chosen for baking. Granny Smiths, however, are way too tart to pair with super tart rhubarb, so sweet apples such as Crispin, Honeycrisp or Gala are preferred here. The apple’s natural sweetness also allows for the reduction of added sugar to 1-1.5 teaspoons per serving. I’m not claiming this is a healthy recipe, but that’s probably less than your morning coffee! (In other words, I ate this for breakfast once or twice – no guilt.)

Flour mixed with the fruit helps to thicken the juice and keep it from oozing everywhere. A little sprinkle of flour on the bottom crust keeps it from going soggy and helps it to lift neatly from the pie plate.

This pie also encouraged me to try out a few new tricks. Namely, this is the first time I have ever attempted to make a lattice crust! With the aide of a ruler, it’s easy to trace 1-inch widths with a ravioli or pizza cutter. I chose to weave the lattice directly on the pie starting with the middle and working my way to the sides all around. A wash of egg plus milk and a dusting of coarse sugar makes it look professional and photo ready. Though, the real pro tip was to dust the inside of the crust with flour before adding the filling to keep it from becoming soggy as the fruit juices are released. I learned that last tip from Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar – binge-watching Mind of a Chef on Netflix has already paid off.

Find yourself with many sweet apples and a bit of rhubarb and make this pie. I promise it will please your palate and all who are lucky enough to have a slice.

The lattice crust – something about it just screams wholesome America to me.

I got this awesome dish towel from an event with Camp Campbell – a network for women in business, especially food business.

Using sweeter apples in this recipe balances the tartness of the rhubarb and allows you to reduce the added sugar to only 1.5 teaspoons per serving.

Leave the skin on and cut the apples into large, meaty chunks. Enjoy!