About the Recipe
Spring time brings one of my favorite foods to the market... rhubarb! This reddish green stalk is high in vitamin C and potassium and has a sour taste. Strawberries are often paired with rhubarb for delicious desserts. These mini pies are the perfect dessert size. While the crust bakes, make the filling.
Ingredients
1 cup chopped almonds, divided into ¾ and ¼ cups
1 ½ cups GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Flour)
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons instant tapioca
2 cups chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen (thawed)
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
Preparation
Make the crust and topping: Combine 3/4 cup almonds, GF flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.
Whisk egg, oil, vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/4 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup almonds; set aside for the topping.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray. Using clean hands, press about 1/4 cup of the crust mixture into the bottom and all the way up the sides of each muffin cup. Prick the bottoms with a fork.
Bake until the crusts are set and the edges are just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees .
Make the filling: Process tapioca in a spice grinder, mini food processor or blender until finely ground. Combine with rhubarb, sugar, water, vanilla and salt in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until bubbling, thickened and the rhubarb is starting to break down, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries. Divide the filling among the crusts (a generous 2 tablespoons each). Sprinkle with the reserved topping.
Bake the mini pies until the topping is beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Loosen the edges with a paring knife, then gently pry the pies out of the tin with a butter knife. Serve warm or room temperature.
Make ahead tip: Prepare crust and topping, cover and refrigerate separately for up to 3 days. Baked pies will keep, loosely covered, at room temperature for up to 1 day. They also can be frozen for up to 4 months. To serve, place frozen pie in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until warm.