Jon Stewart once dissed strawberry rhubarb pie as the Agent Orange of pie-dom. Despite our deep and enduring admiration of him, we disagree – this pie has made people who fear and loathe rhubarb look forward to the pink stalks every spring. It’s a challenge to get it right, though – May rhubarb tastes better than late June rhubarb, but fresh strawberries aren’t even close to being ready until the rhubarb is almost gone. You have to pick just the right farmer’s market weekend to get the best of both.

Update: http://halffastcyclingclub.wordpress.com/ suggests cinnamon-sugar topping for this pie, and I think this sounds delicious! I’m going to try this next time.

• Double recipe pie crust
• About 1 pound rhubarb stalks
• 2 ½ cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅓ cup tapioca flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• Sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line pie pan with crust. Don’t peel rhubarb – just cut it into 1-inch lengths. Measure out 2 ½ cups of rhubarb, and combine with strawberries, sugar, tapioca and salt. Let stand for at least 15 minutes until the rhubarb macerates and a light syrup forms. Pour mix into pie pan; top with the second crust and cut to vent. Don’t forget to seal the crusts!

Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake pie on center rack of oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Place a cookie sheet on lower oven rack; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until crust is browned and juice bubbles through vents. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Oh, and one more thing … there is no pie that is better complemented with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs regular vanilla ice cream on top.