Individual Strawberry & Rhubarb Pies

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The third use for the pie crust earlier used here and here, were these strawberry and rhubarb pies. I made these before, and they were so good that I often keep my eyes out for rhubarb, a rather elusive vegetable that is grown in the mountain province or other cool locations and sometimes makes it to Manila weekend markets, or in this case SM Makati. I was in the lobby of SM Makati a few days ago and saw some nice and crisp looking rhubarb (incorrectly labelled as red kale, with wrong photo and name on the enormous signage and all) and after checking with the salesperson and confirming it was rhubarb and not kale, I bought about 8-9 stems of it for some PHP70-80 only. When asked why they would use a photo and name of red kale in front of the rhubarb, when they knew it was rhubarb and NOT kale, they just shrugged and ignored me. How dumb is that? What if some unsuspecting client purchased it thinking it was kale? Duhh, I can’t stand it when service people know they are doing something wrong and do nothing to correct it on their own initiative. Better if they had honestly not known it was rhubarb. Totally lame and frankly, irresponsible and inexplicable. Being Marketman, I asked the cashier if she needed potatoes and I sold her cassava instead wouldn’t she be annoyed and she just shrugged her shoulders. Harrrumph. :(

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One of the reasons to bake these pies at home is to simply inhale the fragrance of the mixed fruit. Chopped rhubarb, strawberries, orange zest and orange juice tossed with sugar smells AMAZING. I kid you not, this is sweet happy fragrance if I ever had to define an aroma… Put the fruit individual serving bowls and cover with pie crust and brush with egg wash and bake until just golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. A generous scoop of vanilla ice cream is a perfect accompaniment or some good heavy cream would work nicely as well. The dessert is also good when served cold, as the texture and taste of the strawberry rhubarb seems delicious when cold. The full recipe is in my earlier post on rhubarb pies.

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Don’t be alarmed if the pies bubble over or out through the vents in the pastry, this makes for a more rustic and luscious looking dessert. Of the dozens of guests we have served this dessert to, not a single one seemed to dislike it. It is surprisingly tart and sweet at the same time, a nice balance achieved so it isn’t heavy… The crust provides richness but is limited just to the top, so again it doesn’t overwhelm. One of our house favorites, for special occasions or just a personal treat… :)

For other recipes using rhubarb, check this post.

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35 Responses

  1. I hope the rhubarb, labeled kale, didn’t still have leaves on it. The leaves are poisonous, so an unsuspecting kale eater would be in for a very bad night!

  2. Luanne, my point exactly. I considered discussing the poisonous qualities of rhubarb with the salespeople and just gave up after they promised to change the signage as I was walking away from the produce section. Although I have to say much of the leaves were trimmed off, but there were enough to cause discomfort, I am sure…

  3. It’s a huge deal for me if I encounter salespeople who don’t know their own wares. I often encounter this in certain bookstores, and sometimes in some supermarkets. A simple query of “where is such and such product?” will be met with a blank stare. It is their business to know! In your case, this is taken even a step further!

  4. Thank you for your comment. The merchandisers made a mistake in the labeling and our supervisor saw it on the same day you went and had the label changed. We apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you.

  5. Catherine, thank you for that update. I noticed the rhubarb labeling under the “global” brand. Had I known that was carried by Dizon Farms, I would have emailed you. The attitude of the salespeople that they KNEW it was rhubarb but left the RED KALE sign up anyway is what is most annoying. And as you can see, there are other readers well aware of rhubarb leaves’ poisonous qualities… As always, I appreciate Dizon farms efforts to bring greater variety of produce to the public in readily accessible locations… Thanks.

  6. I find that attitude disturbing since rhubarb leaves are poisonous and that vegetable isn’t well known around here…

  7. MM, can I ask your permission to use this photo as my PC’s wallpaper? It would make me inspire to work… :-)

  8. Could you also use raspberries, rose hips or other berries? I’m not quite sure if rhubarb goes well with others.

  9. OH MM!!! i was just thinking about your rhubarb strawberry pie.i was craving for something sweet and tart… i tried it before and i liked it !!

  10. Never tasted rhubarb before… probably be one of those customers who would have a bad night after thinking this was red kale.. but i don’t usually buy ingredients that i don’t know how to use anyway hehe! xp

    yummy looking pie MM! the browning of the pie crust looks so appetizing! :)

  11. I just can’t conceal my feelings reference your rants: who is the foreigner here – you or me? I am so happy that you are back, kicking and alive :)

  12. MM, Are you in on that Food Bloggers’ contest? I saw the contest info on David Lebovitz blog. You should be nominated for the best in Asia!

  13. CWID, Onie, Keiko or anyone out there in our neck of the woods want any rhubarb this spring, give me a holler! People here at the community garden…pinamimigay lang!

    MM, I am thinking already about berry pies with rhubarb and apple with this post!

    Don…make it ….mixed berry pie with fresh apple chunks and rhubarb….heavenly smell wafting through your kitchen as it bakes!

    Hey Lou, I know yu have a garden and rhubarb….if you don’t make pies, I will gladly give you a hands-on lesson on pie making, interested?…just let me know! I won a Blue Ribbon over at Port Moody pie contest a few years back!

  14. Wow, the pies look delicious! So good to know we can buy rhubarb in Manila. Had a lot of rhubarb crumbles in the summer and I love their tartness. The one at ABC Kitchen even taste of flowers and I agree that it smells heavenly.

  15. ‘When asked why they would use a photo and name of red kale in front of the rhubarb, when they knew it was rhubarb and NOT kale, they just shrugged and ignored me.’

    That is classic!

    I’m glad to see the vendor has taken corrective action and has corresponded with you on the blog so readers can see. A little reassurance like that goes a long way. Not many people are familiar with the toxicity of rhubarb leaves. Even here in the California, I have yet to see signage with such warnings (though I have scene Prop 64 warnings for balsamic vinegar).

    Btw…the fillings look heavenly and the pies…divine.

  16. i am not surprised with the attitude of some salespeople being nonchalant about their jobs. The attitude could be brought about by the fact that they only hold temporary positions as their contracts with agencies (sm don’t keep regular positions for sales) usually last 6 months or so. So they must think, ‘why care, i may not be here tomorrow anyway?’

    nonetheless, very lovely pie!!

    By the way, MM, i’ve been meaning to ask, what would be, for you, the most important things to always have in the pantry?

  17. I think I had one of these before at the Union Square Market last fall with some hot apple cider. It was very good :)

  18. We have three rhubarb plants and their leaves and stalks are just “ginormous”, as my husband puts it. They are happy were they are planted and are well taken cared of because they look so nice and pretty in our veggie garden. The sad part is I don’t really know what to do with them except give them away when some friends who like them come for a visit. I always see how they are cooked in cooking programs here as desert but seeing that they require tons of sugar and butter, I get put off. I was wondering, since the stalks are very tangy, can they also be used to flavor our sinigang?

  19. i dont have oven at home, so i will try to put that strawberry / rhubarb combination as palaman to pambalot ng turon and fried it like turon.. hope it works well.

  20. I have been curious about rhubarb for a looooooooong time now! I think it’s time to make my move and taste it.

  21. MM, beautiful pies. I, too, have one rhubarb plant. I remember one year I made the mistake of making strawberry-rhubarb pie and sitting next to it at the table, as I ate almost the whole 10 inch pie. Very embarrassed when others asked where the pie went.
    at Bettyq, we still have to get together. Please tell me when. Am really looking forward to meeting you. Must try adding apples next time.

  22. marketman, i think i’m going to make this gorgeous, colorful pie. just wanted to let you know that my husband used one of your adobo recipes (blonde i think) and we”ve been having it at least twice a week here in the US. even my daughter loves it so much! i thought you’d gone on leave from your blog and am so happy to know that was only for a short while! please keep writing!

  23. One easy way to make flaky pie crust is to use frozen butter. Grate it over the flour either manually or with a food processor. Saw that done on the Asian Food Channel.

  24. Farida: you have to try adding mixed berries with the rhubarb and apples! It will exude a lot of liquid so I add some blitzed tapioca (not a lot!) together with the flour as thickener.

  25. Strawberries give me a joyous feeling! I’m sorry that you had a less than joyous experience while you were gathering the ingredients for your pies… :( However, I must add that the pics of your pies really make me feel happy! The colors are so bright! Thanks for sharing this! :D

  26. Hi there,

    My boyfriends favourite is rhubarb crumble but still haven’t seen or found any in Manila. Would you be so kind to give me suggestions where to look when u say weekend markets? Like Salcedo market? I would really like to surprise him with some.. Thanks

  27. Aimie, I buy my rhubarb at FTI Taguig from Mary, near the front entrance or at Salcedo market. They are RARELY available, but a pleasant surprise to find. Rhubarb crumble should be quite easy to make, if you can find the fresh rhubarb.

  28. Thank you will check at those areas would u happen to have the number of Mary maybe I could ask her when she has it so I can go and get a lot! Thanks

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