Father's Day 2008 and PIE

We had lots to celebrate this year. Not only do we have a wonderful Dad (two when you count Ron, my brother-in-law), but we also have a recent high school graduate in the family.

I decided this should mean royal feasting in the village! So with my sous chef Tater Tot (aka Taylor, my niece) at my side, I embarked on my next culinary adventure.

Cooking for your family can be quite a challenge. My family is no exception. Ron does not like onions. The only thing I cook without onions is dessert. Michael and Taylor can be pretty picky eaters, as they are part of the McNugget generation.

Mom already had a ham thawed in the ice box, so that part was a no brainer. 18 minutes per pound or til it's done. I can handle that.

The side items were a bit more challenging. Considering that it was Father's Day, I wanted to incorporate ingredients I knew my Dad liked. Therefore, I picked fresh asparagus (to be roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper) and roasted new potatoes (also with olive oil, salt and pepper). My sister Cindy wanted to bring something, so she brought baked beans with raviolis (a childhood favorite of ours) and deviled eggs (a favorite of Ron's). Multi grain rolls rounded out the dinner.

For dessert I wanted to take another stab at the rhubarb pie thing. This time I did it with strawberries instead of raspberries. This pie recipe was given to me by Dev's Mom, Eleanor. She makes it better than I do, but mine's still pretty dirn good, and pretty dirn easy. Even if you don't think you like rhubarb, you should seriously take this for a spin...it might change your mind.

Let's start with the basic recipe...

Rhubarb-Raspberry (or whatever you can get your hands on) Pie

3 c. rhubarb, sliced fine
1 c. raspberries (or whatever)
1 1/3 c. sugar (I used 1 c. and it came out just fine)
3 T. tapioca
1 T. AP flour
1/8 t. salt (I didn't measure)
1/2 t. lemon juice (again, I didn't measure- are you detecting a pattern?)
1/8 t. almond extract (I used vanilla, and no, I didn't measure)
1 T. butter (I left this out and it was fine)

Blend sugar, tapioca, flour and salt....



Add the raspberries and let stand for 15 minutes. Add the rhubarb and let stand another 5 minutes....



Add almond extract and lemon juice. Pour into a pie crust and cover with a second crust...



And yes, I cheated and used store-bought pie crust. And I won't apologize for it. I was so traumatized by the last pie crust I made, I just couldn't face it. I'm taking steroids right now for lung inflammation, and I was afraid I'd go postal and kill my whole family in a fit of 'roid rage. So deal with it.

Anyhoo, you bake the pie at 375 degrees for around 45-50 minutes. You never can tell. Don't leave and run to the store. There's a fine line between "golden brown" and "charred."

Here's the finished product...




Did I take pictures of the actual celebration? No. Should I have? Yes. It would have been the daughterly thing to do.

I was busy eating.

And after we cut into it....

Comments

brooks1986 said…
OMG! I can practically taste that pie just by looking at the photo! YUMMY! We have rhubard growing in our yard if you want some when you get back to Alamosa.
~Julie
Mimi said…
I will definitely take you up on that!!!!

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