Former Glory

Sometimes you just can’t help yourself. I’m usually pretty good with curbing impulse purchases, because I don’t really need another pair of jeans, and I bought a new cookbook only last week. But when it comes to food shopping, I seem to lose all self-control. I could literally spend hours in the produce section, eyeing off the fruits and vegetables. I’m even worse in the cheese section! One day at college, I went to buy some lunch and came back still hungry with the latest Donna Hay magazine and two ruby grapefruits. I inevitably buy things that weren’t on the list, and then curse myself later on because I must find a recipe in which to use it, lest they turn to liquid in the fridge, or mush in the fruit bowl.

Rhubarb is one thing that always tempts me when I’m shopping. The relatively mild weather in Australia means that its available all year, so for a long time I wasn’t sure when it was actually in season. Gourmet Traveller magazine however tells me that it’s right now – in winter, rhubarb grows more slowly, so the stalks are thinner and redder (the article is also a very interesting read about rhubarb’s history) When I saw the beautiful red stems, I knew I had to buy a bunch.

I was about seven years old when we first moved into our house. In our big backyard, there was a beautiful garden growing all kinds of flowers and vegetables. I used to love pulling out the carrots and getting dirty while digging up the potatoes. Among other things, we also grew spinach and rhubarb, but gave most of it away because my parents weren’t sure what to do with it at the time. Unfortunately after a while the garden suffered because my parents didn’t have the time to maintain it like the retired couple that lived here before us. We do have plans to try to restore the garden to its former glory and I would just love to grow rhubarb again!

This recipe came from the recent autumn issue of Donna Hay magazine in a wonderfully styled and particularly inspirational section on sweet pies. In winter I love warm desserts with melted ice cream so pies are perfect. I added strawberries to the rhubarb and vanilla filling because I’d never tried the two together before. I really liked Donna’s vanilla pastry recipe – it was buttery and delicious, but not overly sweet. I will definitely use it for other sweet pies in the future.



Rhubarb and Strawberry Lattice Pie
Adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 38
Serves 6

Vanilla Pastry
• 1 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 180g cold butter, chopped
• 1/3 cup iced water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rhubarb and Strawberry Filling
• ½ bunch rhubarb (about 200g), rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 punnet strawberries (250g), rinsed, hulled and quartered
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten, for brushing
• Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. To make the pastry, place flour, sugar and baking powder in a food processor and process to combine. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Gradually add the water and vanilla and process until the mixture comes together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F)
3. To make filling, place strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornflour and vanilla in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside.
4. Halve the pastry and roll out each piece to 3mm thick. Line the base of a lightly greased 22cm metal pie tin with a piece of the pastry. Spoon the filling mixture into the pastry shell.
5. Cut the remaining pastry into 12 x 2cm wide strips. Arrange the strips on top in a lattice pattern. Press the edges to seal and trim the excess. Brush with eggwhite and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve warm, with custard or ice cream.