Twist of Citrus Rhubarb Pie

Why This Twist of Citrus Rhubarb Pie Works

In the oven, the chopped rhubarb slowly softens and lets out a lot of juice. All that sugar and flour mixed with it at the start doesn’t seem like much, but as the rhubarb heats up, the flour soaks up the liquid and swells. Over time the filling thickens instead of running all over the plate, so the slices hold together once the pie cools.

While everything bakes, the orange and lemon zest spread through the hot filling, and the ginger wakes up in the heat, so the sharp taste of the rhubarb doesn’t feel harsh. Little cubes of butter melt into the filling and also coat the bottom crust, so it stays more tender instead of soggy.

On top, the egg wash and turbinado sugar work together. As it heats up, the egg sets and glues the sugar to the crust. The big sugar crystals dry out and harden, so the top crust comes out golden, crisp, and a bit crackly against the soft, jammy rhubarb inside.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the pie bake at 425°F the whole time can make the crust very dark while the rhubarb inside is still too firm and the juices haven’t thickened. The top can look almost burnt and hard, but the filling runs thin and sharp when sliced.

Skipping the flour or using much less than called for leaves the filling watery. In the oven, the rhubarb releases a lot of liquid that never thickens, so the pie cuts into soggy slices and the bottom crust turns mushy.

Packing the rhubarb in big, uneven chunks causes some pieces to stay tough while others collapse. The result is a filling with hard, stringy bites mixed with over-soft pockets instead of a mostly even, tender texture.

Cutting only tiny or no slits in the top crust traps steam inside. As it bakes, the steam pushes up and can split the crust in random places, and the trapped moisture keeps the top from getting fully crisp.