I come from two extremes of culture. My mother’s family is Polish, which is where so much of my baking inspiration takes root, but my father’s family…is more complex. The mix and mishmash of British and French lineage led to landing in the U.S. some ten years after the Mayflower, and my family gradually made for the Great White North of Canada. With pauses in Salem during the witch trials and two family members fighting on opposing sides during the War of 1812, my father’s family history is checkered with characters and events that positively scream “New World Problems.” This pie recipe comes from my late great Gram, who died when I was too young to truly appreciate the beauty of Canadian cuisine. It is the harbinger of Spring, the sour rhubarb balanced by the sweet custard. I inherited my Gram’s handwritten recipe cards, and when I take this one out each year when the rhubarb is ready to harvest I am taken back through the years, the neat loopy cursive as dear to my heart as the tiny woman who penned it.

This is my favourite recipe for pie crust – pâte brisée. After trying lots of recipes and variations of recipes, this one (an amalgamation of a few) hits all the points I desire: crisp, flaky, easy to work with and buttery. I assume it would work as well with lard or shortening, but I can honestly say I’ve never tried. I also swear by making this in the food processor – make it by hand if you’re even more of a traditionalist than I, but I can vouch for the excellent results you’ll get with a little modern magic.

Pâte Brisée

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt*

1 tsp sugar*

1 cup unsalted butter, well chilled and cut into pieces (or, frozen and grated**)

1/2 cup very cold water

*You can tweak these amounts by half a teaspoon or so, depending on your taste

Pulse the flour with the salt and sugar in the bowl of your food processor. Add the chilled pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture looks like sand and peas, and the butter is well distributed throughout. **If your butter is frozen, grate it directly into the bowl of the food processor. Drizzle the water over the mixture and pulse with a few longer intervals until the pastry comes together in a ball. It will be a little wetter than most traditional pastries, but this will help it during rolling.

Divide the pastry in half, form it into balls and squash it flat into discs. Wrap it well in plastic wrap or pop it into two plastic zipper-style bags and refrigerate for an hour or up to a couple of days.

Remove both discs of pâte brisée from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface (I always roll out on parchment,) roll out one disc to the correct size for your pie dish, with enough for a half-inch overlap. Transfer the pastry circle to the pie dish and put it in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Filling

4 cups diced rhubarb

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 tbsp melted butter

Beat eggs and sugar to a thick froth, then gradually add the flour, followed by the melted butter. Stir in the rhubarb.

Roll the second disc of pâte brisée out to cover the pie dish with an overlap of an inch. Pour the rhubarb mixture into the crust from the freezer, then transfer the top crust to cover the pie. Tuck the top crust under the bottom crust overlap as much as possible, then pinch in whatever decorative way you like. Cut slits in the top crust with a sharp knife so steam can vent. Brush the whole top crust with a beaten egg, then sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the custard has bubbled out the vents. Allow it to cool completely before serving.