Rhubarb Oat-Brown Sugar Streusel Pie

I’m crazy for rhubarb. I absolutely love desserts that feature a sweet and tart flavor profile and while lemon might be the first ingredient that comes to mind, in Springtime I reach for rhubarb. The tart filling is counter-balanced nicely with a sweet and very crunchy streusel topping. I harvest mine right from my friend’s garden. Some supermarkets carry it but check farmer’s markets too. Make sure to trim away any leaves, as they are poisonous! No worries with the stalks of this vegetable, though. Many rhubarb pies feature strawberries as well….this one is 100% rhubarb. I like leftovers for breakfast with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Makes 1, 9-inch pie; serves 8

1 batch Single Butter Pie Crust , dough made and chilled

Streusel:

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Filling:

5 cups rhubarb cut into ½-inch pieces (purchase 1 ½ pounds)

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Crust: Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch tempered glass pie plate with nonstick spray.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to pie dish. Fold edge under, crimp decoratively. Line with foil and weights and blind bake for about 10 minutes. The surface of the crust should be beginning to dry out.

Make streusel and filling while crust pre-bakes.

For the Streusel: Stir together the butter, flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Mix together with fingertips or fork until combined. Squeeze together with fingers to form clumps of streusel, about the size of grapes. If some stays crumbly, that’s okay. (I melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl and make the streusel in the same bowl. Less to wash).

For the Filling: Stir together all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until juices exude. Stir juices back into fruit and scrape filling into crust.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then sprinkle streusel evenly on top, reduce heat to 375 degrees F and continue to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. The streusel should be golden brown and the filling should be bubbling hot. Cool pie for at least 1 hour on rack before serving. Store at room temperature up to 8 hours ahead; loosely cover with foil. Re-warm in 300 degree F. oven, if desired.