Mini Rhubarb Strawberry Pies

Pi Day! I made pies for March 14th (π or 3.14) this year. The nerdy heart in me squealed for joy for a mathematic reason to bake. If I have not mentioned it before, I will mention it now: I LOVE rhubarb and strawberry ANYTHING! These pies were the perfect dessert to end pi day with a smile.

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Mini Rhubarb Strawberry Pies

Yields 6 Mini Pies

Ingredients for the pie crust:

• 10 tablespoons (1.25 sticks) unsalted butter, diced and very cold
• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2.5 tablespoons shortening
• 1/4 cup water + 1 tablespoon, ice cold
• 1 large egg

Ingredients for the filling:

• 2/3 cup rhubarb, diced
• 1/3 cup strawberries, diced
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest*
• 1 tablespoon orange juice*
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg

*For the orange zest and juice, I actually just used the zest from a clementine and juiced the entire thing.

Directions:

First take the butter out of the refrigerator and dice it into small squares. (I usually dice each tablespoon into 4 cubes each.) Once the butter is diced, store in the freezer until you need it.

Place the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse it a few times to combine all the ingredients. Next, add the shortening and butter from the freezer. Pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse meal.

Add the 1/4 cup ice cold water one tablespoon at a time through the feed tube of the food processor until the dough comes together. (You want the dough to adhere to itself but not be sticky.)

Turn the dough out to a floured surface, and give it a quick knead until it comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.

While the dough is chilling, work on the filling. In a small bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, corn starch, orange zest, orange juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix ingredients until well combined well. Set aside for later.

Once you have chilled the dough, preheat oven to 350°F, and spray the middle of a standard muffin pan (6 wells) with nonstick cooking spray.

Pull the dough out of the fridge. Roll out pie crust on a well-floured surface or board with a lightly floured rolling pin to about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thickness. Dust off excess flour. With a round cookie cutter or drinking glass, cut 3 to 4-inch diameter circles out of each pie crust. Place each circle into the prepared muffin well.

Push it up the sides of the well to make sure all of it is covered. Reserve extra dough for the top crusts. You can either re-roll the dough and cut more circles to top them off or lattice the crust. (As you will see, I prefer the lattice top.) Just be sure to cut slits in the top of the crust if you cover it completely.

Evenly distribute the filling into each of the 6 muffin wells, and then top with the chosen crusts.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of water and egg. Brush the tops of the pies with this egg wash.

Place the pan into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Be sure to check the pies around 20 minutes to see if the tops are over browning. If they are, you can tent some foil over them to keep them from burning. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes until you remove them from the pan.

Serve alone, with whipped cream, or with ice cream!

Enjoy!!

“The man for me is the cherry on the pie. But I’m the pie and my pie is good all by itself. Even if I don’t have a cherry.” – Halle Berry

Italian Sausage Quiche

Quiche! When I hear the word quiche, I think “fancy savory pie.” It is one of my favorite dishes because you can mix up the ingredients depending on how you feel. I made this quiche when I first convinced my husband to try it. It has his favorite things in it…Italian sausage, bell peppers, and onions. My hope is that you will appreciate quiches for what they are, a blank canvas for deliciousness!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Italian Sausage Quiche

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 pound turkey Italian sausage
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded or diced
• 2 ounces provolone cheese, shredded or diced
• 1 pie crust, pre-cooked

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Remove the turkey Italian sausage from the casings and brown in the pan. Once it is almost completely browned, add the onions and bell peppers and cook until softened.

Once the sausage mixture is cooked, drain on a plate with a paper towel lining. While it is cooling, work on the egg mixture. Place the egg, half-and-half, mayonnaise, flour, and spices in a bowl to whisk thoroughly.

Layer the sausage mixture, cheese, and then the egg mixture on top of the pre-cooked pie crust.

Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and in the oven for 45 – 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!!

“Baby don’t you cry, gonna make a pie, and hold you forever in the middle of my heart.” – Jenna Hunterson, Waitress