Hi friends! Summer is almost here and it’s finally strawberry (and rhubarb) season. Hurray!!
Let’s celebrate with a Strawberry pie, shall we? Even better if we can add a touch of
nostalgia by going back to the good ol’ 80s. Chock full of fresh strawberries and rhubarb, this is the perfect summer pie. It’s totally delicious… to the max!
(Recipe at bottom of post— strawberry shortcake doll is optional 🙂
So, who else had one of these dolls growing up?
If you’re like me, you not only had Strawberry Shortcake but all of her friends as well. Remember Lemon Meringue Pie? Blueberry Muffin? Or, what about Huckleberry Pie? I had all of their wonderful scents waffling into my nostrils on a regular basis. My mom used to say that my room smelled like a fruit salad. It’s no wonder I’m a pie baker now (ha ha).
Did you know that Strawberry Shortcake was created for greeting cards in the late 70s? She was created by artist Muriel Fahrion when she worked at ‘American Greetings’ card company. The original Strawberry Shortcake doll was designed by her sister, Susan and back then she was a simple rag doll with big freckles, red curls (made out of yarn) and a matching strawberry-printed bonnet and dress. In 1979, toy manufacturer Kenner Products licensed the character and created the first official toy doll.
In 1980, Strawberry Shortcake was all the rage and anyone who was anyone back then had one of these dolls and all her delicious-smelling friends. They also came with a little pet and ‘Custard’ was Strawberry Shortcake’s kitty. If you’re feeling nostalgic go google “modern Strawberry Shortcake doll’….I’ll wait ( I can’t share the photos here as some bloggers have been sued for sharing photos even with a link and sources).
She sure has changed a lot from 1982, hey? I can’t say I’m overly surprised though, as that was a long time ago. I’ve also heard that the modern Strawberry Shortcake comes with a cell phone now… instead of a cat. Crazy!
After the Strawberry Shortcake rolled out onto the shelves in the early 80s, an animated TV show soon followed suit— mostly to push the toys. Anyone else remember the show? I used to watch it quite often, at least whenever the Smurfs weren’t on.
A remake of the show came out in 2003 but because I was in college then (and way too old for shows about dolls, no less), I never watched it and have no idea whether it was any good….or how it compared to the original show.
In the first show, Strawberry shortcake’s home was a ginormous shortcake surrounded by strawberry vines. Not long after she moved out of the shortcake and into a fancy mansion (not bad for an 8-year old, holy cow!).
And if you loved Strawberry-Shortcake, you can’t forget about the town’s ‘villian’: Purple Pie Man. He was always devising half-baked (pun intended) plans & get-rich schemes to take over Strawberry Shortcake, her friends and their village. Most importantly, though, he wanted to steal all the fruit (gasp!). He might have been the bad guy, but boy did he ever smell amazing. Yum.
Despite his name, Pie Man wasn’t a great baker at all. But he did have a magic pie plate which enabled him to spy on the Strawberry Shortcake village. Man, I gotta get me one of those. Uh…er, for baking… Yeeeaahhhh, that’s it! 🙂
Okay, this was fun to walk down memory lane (you guys are still with me, right?) but let’s get down to the REAL strawberries. And rhubarb. With this amazingly delicious pie. Who’s with me?
Happy Strawberry season, lovelies! Please let me know if you do try this pie.
Love,
Dana xo
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
A delicious summery pie chock full of fresh strawberries and rhubarb in an all-butter crust.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie dough half for the bottom crust and the half for a lattice top or pastry designs (I make flowers)
Filling
- 4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries if using frozen, do not thaw
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch can use cornstarch instead
- 3 tablespoons salted butter cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean extract or reg vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange extract* optional but highly recommended
- 1 cup fresh not frozen halved strawberries for the top*--not necessary but it adds a nice freshness to the pie
Instructions
Instructions
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Preheat Oven to 350F
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Roll dough onto a floured surface and fit into a pie plate, saving the rest of the dough for a lattice top or cutting out designs for the top. Place in freezer while putting together the filling. If using a store bought bottom crust, keep in freezer while preparing the filling.
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In large bowl place rhubarb, sugars, cinnamon, salt and tapioca starch. Allow to sit for 1/2 hour and then drain juices.
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Add fresh or frozen strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla and orange extract (if using) and mix. Dot with small pieces of butter and lightly combine.
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Pour/ladle filling into the (unbaked) pie crust, careful not to overfill. Add a lattice top or pastry designs
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Bake for about an hour, or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling. If the top & sides start to get too browned during baking, cover with foil or a pie shield.
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Allow pie to cool completely, preferably overnight, before slicing. Strawberry pie needs more time to thicken as it can be very liquid-y when it comes out of the oven.
