Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie - Vegan

I am so happy I found Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.  Last year I attempted to make a pie, and I think I made one of the worst tasting crusts ever.  I was ready to give up then found this book and thought I would give it another try.  The results were amazing.  I had a hard time sharing this pie with anyone else.  Should you make this pie on a hot and humid day like I did keep everything in the fridge until you're ready to use it, yes this includes your rolling pin.

Crust

Makes one 9 inch pastry bottom crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cold nonhydrogenated shortening (I used Earth Balance)
4 tbsp or more ice water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. Sift together the flour, sugar and salt.  Cut in the shortening (using forks; pastry cutter; hands or food processor) to form a crumbly dough.

2. Stir together 4 tbsp of the ice water and vinegar, then drizzle a third of it over the flour.  Gently mix to moisten, drizzle in another third of the liquid, and mix to moisten.  Repeat with the remaining mixture until the dough forms a soft ball when pressed together.  If it has not yet come together, sprinkle it with another tablespoon (or more, if needed) of ice water until dough can be gathered into a ball.  Wrap it in plastic wrap or between two sheets of wax paper and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Before rolling out the dough place a 14 inch piece of waxed paper or parchment paper on the counter and lightly sprinkle with flour.  Flatten the dough into a disk and place it in the centre of the paper.  Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough in long even strokes to form a circle about 12 inches in diameter.  Occasionally rotate the dough while you're rolling to help form an even circle.
4. To transfer the dough to a pie plate, slide your hand underneath the centre of the paper and quickly flip it onto the plate.  Peel off the paper and gently press the dough into the plate; if necessary trim any overhanging dough edges with a sharp knife, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough for the crimped edge.  Crimp the edges if desired.

Filling

3 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/2 inch thick

4 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Combine all the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugars, salt and cinnamon for the topping.  Drizzle in the margarine and use your fingers to combine the mixture until crumbs form.  Some of the topping will still be sandy, which is fine as long as you have mostly big crumbs.

3. Add the filling to the prepared pie shell and top with the crumb topping.  Cover loosely with aluminum foil and poke a few holes in the foil to let the steam escape.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes.  Lower heat the 350°F and remove the foil.  Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes.  Filling should be bubbling and the crumb topping should be golden.  Place on a cooling rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

If you will use frozen berries or rhubarb you will need to keep the fruit frozen until ready to use, use a little more cornstarch and flour and you will likely need to bake the pie for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Served with Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream and fresh strawberries