Raspberry Rhubarb Slab Pie -- Something Sweet for Betty's Eighty-Third

Ninety-seven degrees Wednesday. Garden drinking water like a man from the desert. Made cucumber salad — cucumbers came in all at once, nothing for weeks then twelve cucumbers. Sliced thin, salted, drained, dressed with vinegar and sugar and dill. The simplest summer food and the best, because simplicity is not laziness, it's confidence — the confidence that the ingredient can stand on its own.

Clay hit two months at the store. He called Thursday — a customer came in who was a veteran, Afghanistan, same years. They talked thirty minutes about the Korengal Valley and the food at the FOB and the sound of helicopters at night. Clay said it was the first time he'd talked about Afghanistan with someone who wasn't a therapist. He said it was lighter. I said lighter how. He said like talking to you about the mines. Like saying words to someone who knows the words and you don't have to explain what they weigh.

Drove to Evarts for Betty's eighty-third birthday. Brought a store-bought cake, which she judged. She ate a slice and said it's fine — from Betty about a store cake, that's generous. We sat on the porch and she told me about a snake she killed in the garden with a hoe. Matter-of-fact, like taking out trash. Eighty-three and killing snakes. My mother is not mortal.

Betty judged that store-bought cake, and she was right to. Next time I drive to Evarts, I’m bringing this raspberry rhubarb slab pie — something with enough tartness and enough summer in it to earn a real verdict from a woman who kills snakes bare-handed and calls it taking out the trash. It feeds a crowd, it travels well, and it’s made from the kind of fruit that comes in all at once and demands you do something worthy with it — which is exactly how this whole week felt.

Raspberry Rhubarb Slab Pie

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar (for crust)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 3/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed
• 3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 3 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (for filling)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar (for topping)

Instructions

1. Make the crust. Combine flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water a few tablespoons at a time, mixing just until the dough comes together. Divide into two portions, one slightly larger. Flatten into discs, wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine raspberries, rhubarb, 1 1/2 cups sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir gently and let sit 10 minutes while you roll out the dough.
3. Roll the bottom crust. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger dough disc to fit a rimmed 15x10-inch baking sheet (jelly roll pan), with dough coming up the sides slightly. Transfer to the pan and press into corners.
4. Add the filling. Pour the fruit filling evenly over the bottom crust, spreading to the edges.
5. Roll and place the top crust. Roll the second dough disc to the same dimensions. Lay it over the filling, pressing and crimping the edges to seal. Cut several vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
6. Finish and bake. Brush the top crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 40—45 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
7. Cool before cutting. Let the slab pie cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before slicing into squares. This gives the filling time to set and makes clean cuts much easier.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 160mg