We have a rhubarb plant growing in a dolly tub our garden that hasn’t done at all well this year. The stalks normally stand tall and to attention but they seem to have lost their va va voom. They’re thin and bendy from the weight of their huge leaves. I decided to chop them all down today in the hope that they’d revive with more vigour next year.
We also still have an ice cream tub full of frozen blackberries that we picked late last summer. We kept some back when we did our jam & jelly making to use in compotes, crumbles etc. Ripening fruits are already in evidence on this year’s bushes so I thought I’d clear out the freezer in readiness for the new crop.
I found and adapted a rhubarb, blueberry and strawberry shortcake pie recipe found in Pie: Delicious sweet and savoury pies and pastries from steak and onion pie to pecan tart by Dean Brettschneider. It’s very much like a cobbler and is delicious hot or cold with vanilla ice cream, cream or – my favourite – a dollop of Rodda’s classic Cornish clotted cream!
Rhubarb and berry shortcake pie
Ingredients
- For the shortbread
- 125 g butter softened & cubed
- 125 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 225 g plain flour
- 25 g cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- For the filling
- 3 –4 stalks rhubarb
- 3 tbsp Demerara sugar
- 250 g fresh or frozen blackberries
- 125 g fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400ºF/Gas mark 6
- Line a shallow 20–22cm round cake tin or flan dish with baking/parchment paper
- Put the cubed butter and caster sugar into a medium mixing bowl and, using a hand-held electric whisk, combine until light and fluffy
- Add the egg before sifting in the flour, cornflour and baking powder. Combine until just mixed
- Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the tin/dish
- Set aside the remainder of the dough, covering it with cling film
- Trim & slice the rhubarb before putting it into a large, non-stick frying pan
- Sprinkle over the Demerara sugar
- Put the pan over a low heat shaking the pan occasionally, until fruit is almost tender
- Add the blackberries & blueberries to the rhubarb, gently mix for a few seconds before turning off the heat and allowing the fruit to cool
- Spread the lukewarm fruit over the shortbread base before carefully dabbing pinches of the leftover dough over the top, allowing a little of the fruit to peep through
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the shortcake top turns golden brown
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack and then onto a serving plate
- Sprinkle the top with icing sugar, slice and serve!
