Posts from the Farm: Rhubarb Custard Pie

Krista here, reporting live from the heartland of Indiana. That's right, I'm back on the farm this week. Above is the view from my mom's kitchen window. That's the barn where my sisters and I kept our sheep, pigs, and cattle in our 4-H days.

I cook and write about food, but right here is where food originates. If I stand in my parent's lawn facing South there are soybeans and wheat directly in front of me. To my left, to my right, AND behind me it's all corn. I'm surrounded. For some folks, the film Children of the Corn was a little scary. For me, it was terrifying. My dad loved to wait until it was good and dark and then say, "Krista, you left the light on in the barn. Head on out and turn it off," as he laughed menacingly. I could count on him to hide behind a bush or around the corner of a building and wait for my return to the house so that he could scare the bejesus outta me about 50% of the time. Why only part of the time? Probably because he wanted to keep me in suspense. He's a real funny guy.

Here's a shot I took from the front yard this afternoon.



Let's cross the road for a little crop identification lesson:

That's corn...



wheat...talk about amber waves of grain...



and soybeans.




Tune in next week for Soil 101. Just kidding! Maybe...

And that's not all they're growing. Anyone know what this broad leaf plant is called?



Let's look a little closer...



Yep. It's rhubarb!

In May, when I posted about Rhubarb Crisp, I mentioned that my mom makes a phenomenal rhubarb cream pie. I'm pretty sure it's about to be award-winning rhubarb cream pie, because she's entering the county fair pie baking contest on Wednesday. The last time I was home she made one for me and I snapped a couple of pictures. Note: we call it rhubarb cream pie, the recipe is titled "custard". There are two eggs in there so it is technically a custard. However, old habits are hard to break, so I'll stick to calling this pie "Rhubarb Cream Pie".



She sliced 2 cups of rhubarb into a pie shell.



Then she poured a cream mixture (recipe below) over the rhubarb, dotted the pie with butter, and baked it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.



You can top this with meringue too, but we don't. I love this pie. Give it a try and I bet you will too!



Rhubarb Custard/Cream Pie

2 cups rhubarb, sliced
2 T. flour mixed with 1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. butter
1 cup cream

Slice rhubarb into an unbaked pie shell. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and flour until combined. Gradually add in the cream and vanilla. Pour cream mixture over the rhubarb. Dot with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.