Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Pie

With a sweet-tart strawberry-rhubarb filling and a buttery, crumbly topping, this Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie is an early summer treat.

Summertime is when we throw open our windows and step out our doors, seeking adventure on Maine’s peaks and in Maine’s waterways. It’s also when we grow things.

Our garden is just beginning to grow. It’s filled with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, sweet peas, sugar snap peas, zucchini, romanesco, lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, wax beans and tomatoes are in. Basil and cilantro are waiting to be planted. Summer squash and cucumbers will go in soon too. But it will be a bit before everything is ready to be harvested and eaten or put by.

In the meantime, strawberries are plentiful in stores and rhubarb is in the fields. It will be a few weeks before we can head afield to pick strawberries (hopefully!) at a pick-your-own field.

In the meantime, storebought berries are a fine accompaniment to fresh rhubarb from a colleague’s patch. And together in a pie crust with a buttery, sweet topping, it’s downright magical.

This Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Pie has a lovely sweet-tart flavor. Serve it fresh with whipped cream or ice cream.

How to Make Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Begin with a pie crust. Make your own, if you wish, or use a store-bought crust. I opt for store-bought.

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Then, make your filling. sliced strawberries are combined with sugar, vanilla extract and cornstarch. The sugar will immediately begin to macerate the berries and rhubarb. The cornstarch will help the pie gel as it cooks and cools so it’s not a soupy mess.

Spread that into the pie crust.

Next comes the topping. Melted butter is stirred together with flour and brown sugar.

The mixture is then crumbled onto the pie.

Now, bake it. It bakes at a high temperature first and then finishes at a lower temperature, allowing it to cook thoroughly without burning.

Once it’s done, it needs to cool. The filling gels as it does. Leave an hour or so before you serve it.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Pie awaits. When will you make yours?