Tartan Rhubarb Pie

Makes One 12-Inch Double-Crust Pie

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This recipe makes one scrumptious and stunningly beautiful pie.  Make it when the local rhubarb is available.  Serve each slice with a little dip of vanilla or strawberry ice cream.

Perfect PieDough, rolled out into two circles for bottom and top of pie, chilled

2½ lbs. fresh rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 cup sugar, or to taste

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 scant Tablespoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Juice and grated rind of 1 orange

1 egg + 1 teaspoon water (whisk together and set aside for an egg wash)

Sparkly sugar, for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Line a 12-inch pie plate with one of the dough rounds, leaving the excess pastry to hang over. Chill.  Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut as many 3 to 4-inch-wide strips as possible from the other round for the lattice top.  Place the strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Put the rhubarb in a large mixing bowl.  Combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl.  Toss the rhubarb with the sugar mixture until completely coated.  Turn the fruit into the prepared crust.  Weave the lattice strips over the filling, securing the ends by “pasting” them to the crust with a bit of the egg wash.  Turn up the overhang of the bottom crust and crimp as desired.  Brush the dough with the egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar, if desired.  (Work quickly so that the dough is still chilled.  If your kitchen is warm and/or you’ve worked a bit slowly, put the pie in the fridge to chill before baking.)  Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50 minutes, until the filling has bubbled and thickened. Let cool at room temperature before serving.  (If the pie browns too quickly, cover the browned parts loosely with foil.)