Rhubarb sour cream crumble pie

Rhubarb season is back, bringing with it the opportunity to make this hard-to-mess-up pie, the perfect antidote to life's overwhelming moments.

Let's get this out of the way immediately: Pie can be intimidating. There's crust involved, and temperature matters, and it's hard to tell when they're done, and ... so many excuses!

Pie might be somewhat intimidating, but I'm here to argue that you can do it. It's really not that bad, especially with a little practice, and this here rhubarb sour cream crumble pie is definitely on the easier side of things. There's only one crust involved! It's nearly impossible to mess up! If you follow the directions, it will taste good! And as with all things: It will get easier to make pie if you actually make pie.

I've been feeling pretty intimidated by a few things (pie not one of them) lately. Life, in general, has been slapping me upside the head with a big "I’M OVERWHELMING" punch. It's not really any one thing, I don't think, but with school and work and social life and relationships and being active and moving and ALL THE THINGS – I think my head dipped under water a few times last week. I finally recognized that my introverted self needed to go home, chill out, and not feel guilty for turning down social commitments. I can't really say "no" to school, and while some work (posting here) isn't 100 percent an obligation, I do have clients I have to deliver work to – which I’m grateful for! Gotta pay my rent somehow! All this to say: I'm realizing that I need to prioritize resting and refueling my way.

As I was rock climbing with a friend last night, talking a bit about feeling overwhelmed (and pie, duh), she brought up the topic of intimidation. I hadn't really put it together, but maybe my being overwhelmed is really just a a function of being intimidated – feeling out of my league in one way or another, and letting that clobber my energy and drive. I'm 3/4 done with school, which means I'm nearing the point where I'll be applying for jobs and selling my skills as a developer – something I’m completely intimidated by. Impostor syndrome is kicking in big time, and I can see how it would be super tempting to give up entirely. But I can't, or I won't, or something. I could go on and on here (like, am I intimidated by actually doing it, and succeeding? Oh man. That’s another chapter entirely!), but to tie it back to pie: I think it’s totally worth it. And it will get easier. I just have to do it.

I made this pie a few weekend ago for ladies night/supper club – a social engagement I love being a part of. We meet once each month and have a different theme. In December, we met for tea at The Heathman Hotel and did a cookbook exchange. For this most recent supper club, we each made a recipe from our cookbooks and had an incredible potluck! I received Butter, a book full of tasty tasty baked goods, from my friend Erin. Somewhat hilariously, she ended up with the book I brought – the Vegan Food52 Cookbook! HA! I may have received the better end of that deal!

This pie was so quick to throw together, and really ridiculously tasty. I upped the amount of rhubarb pretty substantially, so the recipe I've listed here is a little bit different than the one in the book. Enjoy rhubarb season, and make this pie!!

Rhubarb sour cream crumble pie
Adapted from "Butter" by Rosie Daykin

Makes 1 pieFor the pie:
1 pie crust
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the crumb topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Roll our your pie crust and fit it to a 9-inch pie pan, then place in the freezer.

3. Whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

4. Pour the cut rhubarb into the prepared pie crust, and then pour the egg and flour mixture over the rhubarb.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 more minutes.

5. While the pie is baking, prepare the crumble topping. Whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

6. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the pie, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. The top should be slightly browned, and the center of the pie should still have some wobble to it – but the edges should be set.

7. Remove the pie and allow to cool a bit before serving.

Related post on The Kitchen Paper: Rhubarb grapefruit custard pie