"Keep Your Fork! There's Rhubarb Pie!

A few years ago my son Wyatt gifted me a large wooden cutting board for Mother's Day. It was a gift that served both him and me well. I used it in addition to the myriad cutting boards I own; this one being the largest and most useful for things like rolling out pie crusts. Wyatt was on a bit of a food journey of his own, making things like cauliflower sushi and homemade bone broth. The cutting board was a great space for him to lay out his sushi making supplies and roll the "rice" into sheets of seaweed.

I liked leaving it out on the counter all the time; it was pretty, and also it was a constant reminder of my son who has since flown my nest and now has a little family of his own.

Once all my chicks left the nest and we downsized to a tiny cabin in the mountains, my working space in the kitchen is rivaled only by the the kitchenette of our C-Class RV. I have one, (1), uno, drawer that holds all flat-ware, knives, scales, graters, peelers, measuring cups and spoons along with every other thing a proper kitchen junk drawer would have. The poor drawer. It has a big job. There is a dishwasher, but I don't use it for washing dishes. Instead it works well to store large bowls and pans. There are only two of us and I rather like the task of hand-washing dishes. The warm water makes my arthritic hands feel good and it's a sort of thoughtful meditation time for me.

The view above the kitchen sink has, up until this week, been blocked by a make-shift lean-to of sorts where we've stored kitchen and laundry supplies, winter coats, boots and hats. Last week we moved all of that into our already cramped, I mean cozy, living area, and the washer and dryer back upstairs to the already cramped, I mean cozy, loft. Two days ago the walls and ceiling of the lean-to were knocked down and the light came streaming in and joy filled my heart. I just stood at the sink and stared. I've known the view was beautiful, but something about seeing it through the window felt safe and exhilarating all at once. With all the feel-good endorphins flowing, I grabbed my big cutting board and decided to do something with the rhubarb that's been calling my name from the refrigerator drawer for the last few days.

Rhubarb pie was something I couldn't wrap my mind around as a child. "It looks like red celery. Ew!" My mother's standard reply for those moments I'd snub my nose at any particular food. "Oh that's fine honey, it will just leave more for the rest of us to eat." Always leaving me with a slight sense of "fomo".

Once, at a large family dinner, my sister had made the most beautiful pie. She had just pulled it out of the oven. The smell of the buttery crust and the pink gooey juices bubbling up from the slits of the top crust, I asked her what sort of pie it was. "It's Spring and rhubarb is in season so I made a rhubard pie!" She is an excellent cook/baker. I asked for a sliver. Heavenly. I couldn't believe what I'd missed out on all those years.

It's Spring now, and rhubarb is plentiful in the grocery store. It's actually one of the few plants that deer won't eat. I'll be planting lots after we are done with the cabin addition. It's a pretty plant, even if you are a person that doesn't like to eat it. Don't be that person though.

I mixed up some dough for a double-crust pie, and rolled it out on my large cutting board that I placed over the stove. Rolling out pie crust inevitably pulls me back to my child-hood; sitting on the counter next to my mother. Nibbling on bits of pie crust that she'd trim away from the edge and knowing that after the top crust was evenly placed she'd let me help her pinch the edges of the crust together my first finger pressing the dough into my left thumb and fore-finger. The extra dough she'd re-roll, cut into squares, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake for a pre-dinner treat.

Enough time has passed that these memories no longer cripple me. I let the feelings wash over me and choose to feel the closeness of my mother and hear her voice and laughter in my head. My nest is empty but I'm never truly alone.

Once the cabin has been extended and I'm able to work in a larger kitchen space, I know that my cutting board will still be frequently used. Along with the other kitchen tools that have been handed down from my grandmother and mother. I'm excited to open my boxes of kitchen supplies that have been stored away. It'll be like opening gifts of old long-lost treasures.

RHUBARB DOUBLE CRUST PIE

BUTTER PIE CRUST

• 2 Cups all purpose flour

• 2 sticks butter chilled (I prefer salted)

• 1/2 tsp salt ( I prefer Redmond Real Salt https://redmond.life/products/real-salt-refill-pouch-26-oz?variant=18296636997699

• Ice water (drizzled by one Tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together)

Sift flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. With a large cheese grater, grate the chilled butter over the flour/salt mixture, then cut it in with a pastry blender until it resembles small pea size. Sprinkle ice water over 1 Tbsp. at a time fluffing with a fork until you see the dough starting to hold together (depending on how dry you environment is 4-6 Tbsp. the dough should start to hold together in a small ball in your hand. Divide the dough in half and shape into two discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

RHUBARB PIE FILLING

• 1 1/3 C white sugar

• 1/2 C all purpose flour

• 4 C rhubarb (stalks only - cleaned and with both ends trimmed off) cut into 1/2 " pieces

• * Optional - 1 egg beaten with a Tbsp. water to brush over top crust

• * Optional - raw sugar for sprinkling over top crust

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A 9" PIE PAN

1. Preheat oven to 450 F

2. Roll out each chilled pie dough disc (I roll it between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap - lifting the paper and flipping frequently to avoid sticking and also avoiding the need for extra flour which can make the dough tough)

3. Place bottom pie crust in a 9" pie pan with edges hanging over the side.

4. Chop rhubarb stalks into 1/2" pieces

5. Combine sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Add approximately a quarter of this mixture to the crust-lined pie dish. Place the 4 Cups of fresh rhubarb pieces over the flour/sugar layer - don't mix together.

6. Top with the remaining flour/sugar mixture (again, don't mix)

7. Place the second rolled pie crust, trimming, sealing and pinching the edges together.

8. *Optional - with pastry brush, brush top pie crust with 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water, and sprinkle raw sugar over the wet egg mixture.

9. Cover the edges of the crust with strips of foil to keep from over-browning.

10. Place pie in the bottom third of the pre-heated oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 45 more minutes.

11. Let pie cool on a cooling rack completely before cutting to allow the juices to set. This is nearly impossible, so good luck!

12. Serve with whipped cream or even better vanilla bean ice cream!

* I have no clue about the nutrition of this recipe. It has fat. It has sugar. It's dessert! Maybe the little rhubarbs can count as getting your fruit! Or veggie!

I'll put a little sprig of mint on it so that can for sure count as some sort of vitamin :)