Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie with Almonds

~from Savoring Time in the Kitchen

Makes one 9" pie (amounts for 8" pie in parentheses)

Rhubarb-Strawberry Filling

1-1/3 (1) cups sugar

1/3 (1/4) cup all-purpose flour

4 (3) cups diced fresh rhubarb

1 (1/2) cups diced fresh strawberries

1-1/2 (1) tablespoons butter

3 (2) tablespoons sliced almonds, for garnish

Swedish Pearl Sugar or regular baking sugar, for garnish

2 crust pastry (recipe follows) or you may use store-bought refrigerated pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425F

Place rhubarb in a large bowl. Mix sugar and flour together and add to rhubarb in bowl. Toss together with rhubarb.

Pour rhubarb mixture into a pastry-lined pie plate and dot with butter. Cover with top crust and make slits in dough. Flute crust edge with your fingers or score with a fork to seal. Sprinkle top with almonds and sugar.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is nicely browned and juice begins to bubble through slits. Cover edge of pastry with strips of aluminum or use a silicone pie crust shield during the last 20 minutes to prevent burning.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pastry for a 9" Two Crust Pie (8" pie amounts in parentheses)

2 cups (1-1/2) cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (3/4) teaspoon salt

2/3 (1/2) cups shortening (such as Crisco)

1/4 (3 tablespoons) cold water, more or less

Measure flour by dip and level method and place in large bowl. Add salt and blend. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the consistency is like small peas.

Sprinkle flour mixture with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix with a fork until all flour is moistened. Bring dough together with your hands and press into a ball. Cut into two pieces and form into discs.

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough, one piece at a time, covering unrolled piece with plastic wrap until ready to roll out. Roll pastry about 1-inch larger than the pie plate's largest diameter, about 1/8-inch thick. Fold pastry in half and transfer to pie plate. Unfold and press into place. Fill and cover pie with second piece of rolled dough and follow directions above finishing and baking.

Adapted from my vintage Betty Crocker Cookbook.