Hilly's Strawberry Rhubarb Pretzel Slab Pie

Sonny and Cher. Bert and Ernie. Strawberry and Pretzel. Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait. A pie can look like anything, and this one looks like a springtime dream. Crisp, salty, flaky layers of pretzel pie dough sandwich a tangy, ooey gooey strawberry rhubarb jam. This pie is slabbed up in one of our favorite kitchen tools, the quarter sheet pan, for optimal crust-to-filling ratio and perfect browning (no soggy bottoms here). Serve with ice cream if you’re cool.

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Hilly's Strawberry Rhubarb Pretzel Slab Pie

Ingredients

oz. strawberries quartered and green tops removed

cups sliced rhubarb

1¼

cup sugar

tsp kosher salt

lemon (peel and juice of whole lemon)

cup cornstarch

Tbsp water

tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Notes:

Precooking the fruit before filing the pie gives it a thick, jam-like consistency, without all the work of using pectin. If you just want to make jam, make this filling, skip the cornstarch, jar it up and save for later.
If you’re not a rhubarb fan, leave it out and replace the quantity with more strawberries, it’ll be just as good!
Jam should be room temp or chilled.
Spice up your life: Warm spices like cardamom, allspice, or something like sumac can really add a layer of complexity to your jam, so throw a teaspoon of your favorite and give it a shot (I added cardamom to mine).

STEP 1

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the lemon, north to south, in large strips. Some of the white pith is fine, but not too much.

STEP 2

Add the following to a large high-walled stock pot or dutch oven: quartered strawberries, sliced rhubarb, strips of lemon peel, juice of lemon, sugar, and salt. Stir well to combine.

STEP 3

Set the pot over medium low heat, stirring the mixture regularly to prevent any scorching on the bottom of the pot.

STEP 4

Bring the mixture to a simmer and toggle the heat as needed to try to keep it there -- if this mixture reaches too full of a boil as it thickens it will spurt hot jam up at you as you stir, so be careful.

STEP 5

Once the mixture has reached the previously mentioned simmer, add those spices -- if using.

STEP 6

The fruit will start to break down without you having to smash it, so let it be and continue stirring. About about 20 minutes.

STEP 7

Continue cooking and stirring regularly until you can draw a line on the bottom of the pot with your heat proof spatula and the mixture parts like the red sea so you can see the bottom of the pot, when that line lingers for about a second, your jam is ready. This can take 30 - 45 minutes.

STEP 8

Make the slurry: combine ¼ cup cornstarch with 3 Tbsp water until fully homogeneous.

STEP 9

Add slurry to your jam while whisking vigorously for about 1 minute, maintaining a full boil to cook off the raw cornstarch taste.

STEP 10

Turn off the heat and add vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Allow to cool slightly before filling your pie.

STEP 11

Filling can be made several days beforehand stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Next: Pretzel Pie Crust Recipe