Return of the rhubarb lover

My friend Maggie tends an awesome patch of rhubarb in a canyon near Cashmere, Washington — and last week she was kind enough to let me cut some stalks to take home.

So–how could I resist my favorite sweet of the season: rhubarb pie?

(Never mind that we haven’t really had spring in the Pacific Northwest this year, leading some folks to call this month May-vember.)

Just the two of us were planning to eat the whole pie, so I decided to make a smaller-than-usual version with my trusty little “Wild Plum” aluminum pie pan. I’ve had this since my friend Peggy delivered it to me with a quiche inside after my son Zak was born — and that’s been 32 years ago! (The quiche hit the spot, by the way).

I adjusted the recipe downward, rather imprecisely, for the  8-inch pie pan and it turned out just fine.

I like twisting the lattice crust, but whatever way you do it, it will taste great

We managed to keep the pie around for a whole day after I made it. Now, it’s just a memory. But a very, very good one.

I wrote about my rhubarb pie recipe last spring, with a recipe included, so I’ll  just put my ingredient adjustments below.  And for more appreciations of rhubarb and recipes for less caloric rhubarb pies and rhubarb crisps, check out this post. And this one. There’s also a recipe on the New York Times site for a rhubarb upside-down cake that is highly caloric (read: 2 1/2 sticks of butter). But Cathy made it for some friends this weekend and said it’s easy and delicious. Just don’t tell any weight-conscious friends what’s in it!

Happy rhubarb eating to you!

Ingredients for a smaller rhubarb pie:

Pastry:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water

Filling:

• 5 cups of  fresh rhubarb, thinly sliced on the diagonal (if your stalks are very wide, cut them vertically before slicing)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small bits
• 1/2  teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/4 teaspoon salt