Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb-top Pie

Carter, my kitchen assistant

What good is it being a Grandma with a cooking blog if I can't sneak in a picture of my adorable grandson/kitchen assistant/future foodie once in a while? So here he is with our haul of giant rhubarb that we "borrowed" from our neighbor. I moved my rhubarb to a different spot last year and it has not come back in full force yet. So we went scouting around the neighborhood and noticed a huge plant in the yard next door almost hidden by horsetail and pushky (Alaska's two most invasive weeds). We went to the door to ask permission to harvest some, but they weren't home. Now because I know these neighbors pretty well, I told Carter that I was sure they wouldn't mind if we "borrowed" some and repaid them with a pie. So we made 2 pies and delivered one to them that evening (still warm and oh-so-fragrant). Needless to say, our neighbors were thrilled with the deal and invited us to harvest all the rhubarb we wanted!

We have been enjoying a full 2 weeks (gasp!) of absolutely gorgeous summer weather. Blue skies and warm temperatures (warm for us is 70 degrees, we Alaskans break a sweat at 75). Everyone is about 15 shades browner and healthier looking and vitamin D levels are skyrocketing! All this great weather has really made the rhubarb grow quickly and combine that with a great sale on strawberries at Safeway and you've got the perfect combination for one of our favorite summertime desserts.
P.S. This recipe is a mashup of 3 different recipes, I took aspects that I liked from each one. The orange zest is a must, it takes this pie to a whole new level of deliciousness. The crumb topping came about because I originally wanted to make a crisp but Carter wanted a pie, so we compromised. I strongly recommend a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb-top Pie

Pastry for 9" pie (your favorite home-made or store-bought...I have to confess that I don't enjoy making pie crust so I often use store bought. My theory is that it's better to have a home-baked pie with store-bought crust than no pie at all!)

For the filling:
3 cups rhubarb, cut in 1/2" pieces
2 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/4 cups sugar
grated zest of one orange
juice of 1/2 an orange
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tablespoons flour
1 egg, beaten

For the topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9'' pie plate with the pastry. In a large bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients, pour into pastry lined dish. Stir dry topping ingredients together in medium bowl then cut in butter with pastry cutter or two knives. The butter should be well distributed in the topping. Cover the filling with the topping, sprinkling evenly and to the edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then turn oven down to 325 degrees and continue baking for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling. Cool for about 30 minutes before cutting.