Garden Party Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This was one super-fun...and very crazy week!!

Brought to you by the fruit: strawberry and the vegetable: rhubarb...

This week was a whirlwind...and I thought, with a week this amazing...

 I owed it a "behind the scenes post"...

...Because so much of this week happened in the wee hours of the morning...

I thought you might be curious about some of those tidbits... 

 (I know I always like to see "behind the scenes")

Visiting Fox 19 Morning News, our local Fox channel in

Cincinnati was a surprise and so exciting...

I was doing a promotional recipe segment for the

Cincinnati Horticultural Society's 2016 Flower Show...

For the morning news, I did a different take on a traditional pie...

presenting Mason Jar Strawberry Rhubarb Pies...

For the Flower Show, I was presenting a traditional Garden Party

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie...

See all the flower and garden themed

pie cut outs??

It was all about the garden party theme and pie...

I had never stepped foot inside a TV studio before last Thursday.

This was my view from the studio kitchen.

These are a few shots of the Mason jar pies and set up, prior to the recipe segment.

If you'd like to see more on the Mason Jar Pies...

including the recipe: Click Here:Mason Jar Pies

And below, things are starting to get serious...
very serious...

Below is the BIG RED CLOCK...
it was keeping track of me...

I think this particular over sized clock ticks

 away the minutes at a considerably

faster pace than the clocks I normally use...
  (just a hunch)

Here it says 8:11 and my live demo was to start at 8:45.... eek!!

I was like a kid on a field trip... I had so many questions...

The entire live TV segment experience was a lot like riding a roller coaster...

First, I committed to riding ...a pretty big decision...

(So much could happen... I could LOVE it ...or... Does it go upside down??  

How many loops??)

Once you're there... on set... it's fast paced and busy...

If this whole going on live TV event was actually a roller coaster,

this would be the part where you are in the seat, buckled up

and waiting to climb the steep hill...

The cameras... amazingly large... roll right up to you...

The lights get brighter...  and hotter...

Your mic goes live... (Can they hear me breathing??.... I bet they can...

Why am I breathing so loudly?? I bet they think I'm going to pass out...)

The BIG red digital clock on the camera counts down...

The host is recording notes audibly into his iPad... which is then showing

up on the teleprompter...  

(I'm so amazed by all this technology...

but I don't have time to ask all my questions...)

And I do have so many burning questions... for instance:

How did these news folks get their teeth so white??

Should I look at a certain camera or just at the host??

What kind and how much hair spray are they using....?? 

 They are impeccably put together...not a hair out of place...

Are most green rooms actually painted green like this one??

Is there anything in my teeth??  

Why do I feel like I need to check again??  

Why is everyone around me checking their teeth??

...and the list goes on...

3....2....1.....   LIVE!!

Just like that, the TV anchor starts with his intro... 

there is absolutely no getting off this ride...

Truly, like a roller coaster, we fly through the segment... 

in what seems like 10 seconds, the ride is over....

I am happy to report, that I did not pass out... 

(that would have been super awkward)

It all went very well... 

I think it's hard not to be super critical of yourself on HD TV... 

but all in all,

I think we can put it in the books as a success!!

And like any thrilling roller coaster... 

the ride comes to a complete stop and you are

 excited and ready to ride it again!!

Thanks to all the kind folks at FOX 19 that answered all

of my novice, 

but somehow super important questions.

(At least the ones I was brave enough to ask)

Thanks to news anchor, Dan Wells, 

for sharing his sincere enthusiasm for pie, pie cutters and all things relating to pie.

All of that excitement was just early Thursday....

***

So... moving on to yesterday... The Flower Show...

Saturday was such a beautiful day... gorgeous weather, stunning setting...beautiful flowers...

Here's the event board...and like all the other "pinch-me" 

moments from this week...there was my name... truly exciting.

I was so touched to have some

family and friends make the trip down to the Flower Show.

It's always nice to have familiar faces nearby.

Below is the recipe for 'Garden Party Strawberry Rhubarb Pie' for anyone

that wasn't able to make it...

She sure is a pretty pie...

(I'm stopping to smell the flowers on this strawberry-rhubarb pie... 

because it has to be done)

The hour presentation flew by... not quite as fast as a roller coaster ride...

but it always ends with me wishing I had just a few

more minutes to share more tips and tell everyone one last little baking secret...

The audience was sweet and very attentive,

they were full of great questions... 

BTW, I think you all will be making fabulous pies very soon!!

If you would like to learn more about the cute flower-shaped pie cutters

 I used to make this pie, visit the Mason Jar Pies link above... 

lots more info is in that post, 

including all of my product sources.

Thanks as always for reading the blog... and coming along on this journey...

I'll be riding that roller coaster again... 

FOX 19, has asked me to send in ideas for future recipe segments!!

I'm going to be brave... 

check my teeth just one time... 

and enjoy the ride!! ... I'll keep you posted.

P.S. We popped down as a family this morning to take
 in the Flower Show... here are a few bonus photos 
of some of the gorgeousness we saw.  

I especially loved this display... 
there is a raspberry beret on the bicycle handle... 
The kind you'd find in a second-hand store... 

( I'm sorry I couldn't resist... actually I'm not really very sorry 

after all, I've been waiting all day to write that line...

ever since I snapped the photo... Ha.)

Congratulations to my friends at Persimmons Lane 

on their amazing Sister Cities "Dragon" table-setting. 

 It is truly a work of art!!

The Recipe...

Click Here for a Printable Copy: 

Garden Party Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Garden Party STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE                                          

Karri Perry, Blue Ribbon Kitchen blog, 2016

BlueRibbonKitchen.blogspot.com

PIE DOUGH

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter-chilled,

and cut into small pieces

¼ cup butter flavored Crisco-chilled, cut into small pieces

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup to 1/2 cup chilled water and vodka mixed 50/50. 

Use only enough liquid for dough to come together.

Mix together flour, salt and sugar, in a food processor.  Lightly pulse.

Add butter and Crisco, pulsing until mixture resembles wet sand.

Add just enough liquid for dough to come together, while lightly pulsing.

Remove and chill dough, covered or wrapped tightly for 2 hours before using.

**Always keep dough cold. 

FILLING

2 cups rhubarb-cleaned and chopped into ¼ inch pieces. Only use the red stalks of the rhubarb. 

Be sure any leaves are removed and discarded.

2 cups rinsed and sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup of granulated sugar

 3-4 TBS instant clear gel (available at King Arthur) or use cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tiny pinch of salt

In a large bowl, pour lemon juice over prepared strawberries and rhubarb.

Combine dry ingredients together, lightly mix and then pour over berries and rhubarb to coat.  Set aside while rolling out pie dough.

How To Assemble Pie:

Roll out ½ of the chilled pie dough to ¼ inch thickness and place into a 9-inch pie plate.

Pour the prepared filling into the dough lined pie plate.

Roll out the second half of dough to ¼ inch thickness and cover pie.

Crimp edges.  Add decorative pie cut-outs if using. 

Vent pie by making a few slits on the face of the pie.  If desired, lightly egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Finishing the Pie: 
Egg wash: 1 egg lightly beaten and 1 Tablespoon of cool water to thin.
Cinnamon-sugar mixture: 1 Tablespoon sugar + 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon-to sprinkle on top of the pie.
Lightly brush egg wash onto the top of the pie (you will not use all the egg wash,
only use enough to very lightly glaze the dough.) 
While egg wash is wet, sprinkle pie with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

BAKING TIP: Chill the made pie for 10-15 minutes before baking... Make sure the pie dough is cold, before putting it into the hot oven…the crust will be flakier.

Bake on the lowest rack in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
***Bake pie on a No-drip pie shield or a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips.

Reduce Heat to 375, cover edges with a crust shield or foil and continue baking

an additional 40 minutes, or until pie is browned and the filling is bubbling.

Let pie cool to room temperature and serve.  Enjoy.

That's all for now... 

and if you're still reading this at the very bottom, 

you deserve a slice of fresh strawberry-rhubarb pie... 

that was a loooong post.   

 ;)  Take Care,

Karri