The Pie Lady was a legend along Route 1 near Bucksport.  At her roadside stand she extolled the passions of The Pie People, my term for summer visitors who come to Maine (or anywhere else in the country) in search of summer pie as announced on roadside signs.  The pie lady (Priscilla Moore Metcalf) is no longer with us, but it was hard not to stop for pie as she sat in one of those plastic lawn chairs next to her  pie chests filled with her goodies, some still warm from the oven.  She had all the favorites like blackberry (the most popular), blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb and lemon meringue, among others.

Were they good?  According to Linda Greenlaw’s book, Recipes from a Very Small Island, these were fine pies, which Greenlaw would take back home to Isle au Haut.

I would stop there en route to places like Blue Hill or Mt Dessert.  As I remember, the unremarkable crusts were made with shortening but the fillings were very good.

There are great pie makers throughout Maine at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and farm stores.  And the strawberry-rhubarb pie that I offer here is one of the best versions of this pie as the confluent ripening of local rhubarb and strawberries are in full swing.

At this writing strawberries  are trickling into the market; in fact, Jordan’s Farm received a handful of pint baskets on Tuesday from Maxwell’s.  When I made the pie I used the stash of last summer’s berries that I stored in freezer bags. And to my surprise they wintered over very well.  Once thawed they were firm, sweet and juicy, almost as good as fresh from the field.  My advice is to freeze a few batches of berries so you can enjoy them out of season.  To freeze, cut berries in half, put on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until hard.  Put into freezer bags.  Thaw before using.

strawberry rhubarb

My old-fashioned flaky pie dough is perfect for this pie.  It’s made with butter and freshly rendered leaf lard and put together in the usual way using either a food processor or pastry cutter.  The proportions for a two-crust 9-inch pie are 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) lard and about 1/2 cup ice water.  The processed dough should be slightly moist to the touch.  Chill for at least 1 hour before using.

Strawberry-rhubarb filling

Strawberry-rhubarb filling

Brush the baked pie with melted butter

Brush the baked pie with melted butter

The Ultimate Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

The secret ingredient in the pie is a pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg, and another final touch is to brush melted butter on the top crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Servings: 6 to 8

Recipe double crust pie dough (see above)

3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-pieces

1 to 1 1/4 cups strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

A pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg

A pinch of salt

4 tablespoons butter, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out the bottom crust to line a 9-inch pie pan.  Chill until ready to use.

In a medium size bowl mix the flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt, using a whisk to combine.

Prepare the berries and rhubarb and put into a large mixing bowl.  Add the dry ingredients and with your hands, mix well until the fruits are covered with the mixture.

Put the filling into the pie shell.  Top with 2 tablespoons of butter cut into small pieces.

Roll out and affix the top crust over the filling and fold the overhang under and make a decorative crimped border. Cut 4 or 5 slits in the pie as steam vents. Sprinkle some sugar over the dough and put the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes until the top is brown and the filling is bubbling.

Remove the pie from the oven when done and brush the top generously with melted butter.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream,