Day late and a berry short?

Jeez! I've been so out of touch with everything lately--including this blog--that I have quite a backlog of recipes that I still want to share. The problem is, some of them are from so long ago, that the foodstuffs on which the dishes are based are out of season! Oh well...still, I will forge ahead and try to get caught up on my summer (that wasn't) recipes.

Let me start with an excellent raspberry-rhubarb pie that I made earlier this summer. Maybe you stashed some fresh raspberries in the freezer to make a pie or jam in the off-season? This pie might be worth busting them out for! Or you could always use frozen raspberries instead. As for the rhubarb, it was such a mild summer, that it is still thriving around these parts, so you might be in luck there. The best thing about this recipe, though, is the crust. Ever since I made that coconut cream pie awhile back, this has been my new go-to standard. It's buttery and incredibly flaky and just DELICIOUS! Homemade pies are not the quickest or easiest things to throw together, but this is definitely a culinary project worth undertaking! Raspberry and rhubarb is an excellent flavor combination; if you like strawberry-rhubarb, you'll like this. However, you could also substitute blueberries or blackberries--it's all good!

Raspberry-Rhubarb Pie
(Source: the crust is from Bon Appétit, the filling was my own concoction)

Double Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (or more) ice water

Filling:
2 cups fresh (or frozen) raspberries
4 cups rhubarb, sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup thickener (any combo of flour, corn starch or tapioca)
1 tablespoon butter, in small pieces

Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon cream or milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fit pie plate with bottom crust rolled out from half of the (chilled!) dough. Gently mix together the raspberries, rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and thickener(s). Pour into bottom crust and dot the filling with butter. Top with the other crust, cut vent holes or form a lattice. Brush with egg wash.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another hour, or until the middle of the pie bubbles. (Cover the top of the pie with tin foil if the crust starts to get too brown.) Cool for at least two hours to let the juices thicken before cutting and serving.