Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

This is the Best. Pie. Ever. 
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Of course, it comes from Cook's Illustrated. You should always always do what Cook's Illustrated says. The first time I made this pie, I tweaked a few things and it was brilliant. But a little watery. So, round two, I upped the thickener. Bad idea. Awesome, but not brilliant. Third time, I tweaked nothing and the pie was mind-blowing. Yes, yes, I made this pie three times in a row. It's that good.

Now shoo, off to the kitchen with you!
 
P.S. Transcribed word for word, with some of my own commentary inserted.
Crust:
2.5 cups (12.5 oz) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for sprinkling
1 tsp salt
12 tbsp (170g) unsalted butter, cut into quarter inch slices and chilled
0.5 c (102.5g) vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
0.25 c vodka, chilled
0.25 c cold water, plus extra for brushing

Filling:
2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 0.5" pieces (7 cups)
1.25 c (8.75 oz) sugar
1 lb strawberries, hulled, halved if less than 1", quartered if more than 1" (4 cups)
3 tbsp instant tapioca
For the crust:
1. Process 1.5 cups flour, 2 tbsp sugar and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter and shortening over top and process until incorporated and mixture begins to form uneven clumps with no floury bits remaining, about 15 seconds.

2. Scrape down sides of bowl and redistribute dough evenly around the processor blade. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup flour over the dough and pulse until mixture has broken into pieces and is evenly distributed around bowl, 4 to 6 pulses.

3. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. Using rubber spatula, stir and press dough together until it sticks together.
  • At this point, I actually dump the whole mess out onto the countertop and use my hands to much the dough together into a cohesive mass. I then knead it about 4 to 5 times to bring it together into a supple ball. 
4. Divide dough in half. Turn each half onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form 4" disks. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Let chilled dough sit on countertop to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling.
  • Wrapped dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month. If frozen, let thaw completely on counter before rolling. 


For the filling:
5. While dough chills, prepare the strawberries and rhubarb. Trim the ends of each stalk of rhubarb. Then, using a paring knife, peel off the outer red fibrous layer. Chop each stalk into 0.5" pieces. Combine rhubarb and sugar in a large bowl and microwave on high for 1.5 minutes. Stir and continue to microwave until the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup of strawberries and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

6. Drain rhubarb mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over a saucepan. Returned drained rhubarb to bowl and set aside. Add remaining strawberries to saucepan with rhubarb liquid and cook over medium-high heat until strawberries are very soft and mixture is reduced to 1.5 cups, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add strawberry mixture and tapioca to the rhubarb and stir to combine. Set aside.
  • I like to reduce the mixture even more, almost until it is like jam in its consistency. This takes about 5 more minutes.
7. Roll 1 disk of dough into a 12" circle on a well floured counter. (This dough is very soft and required a full 1/4 cup of flour to be rolled out.) Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll onto a 9" pie plate, letting excess dough hang over the edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into the plate bottom with your other hand. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

8. Roll the other disk of dough into a 12" circle on a well-floured counter, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

9. Transfer filling to chilled dough-lined pie plate and spread into an even layer. Loosely roll remaining dough round around the rolling pin and gently unroll it onto the filling. Trim overhand to 1/2" beyond the lip of the plate. Pinch edges of bottom and top crust together firmly. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with the plate. Crimp dough evenly around the edge of the plate using your fingers or a butter knife. Brush the surface of the pie thoroughly with water. Sprinkle 3 tbsp of sugar on top. Cut 8 2" slits in the top crust.

10. Place pie on parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is set and begins to brown, about 25 minutes. Rotate pie and reduce heat to 375°F. Continue to bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let pie cool on a wire rack for 2.5 hours before serving.
Notes:
This may be the best crust recipe I know. I've always hated working with pie crust, as it feels so finicky, and if I worked it just a teensy bit too much it would toughen up and be bad. This crust can withstand some work and stays tender and flakey, thanks to the booze.

Pie goes great with unsweetened whipped cream.