Quick and Easy Rhubarb Custard Pie

• Frozen Store-Bought Pie Crust: You need a store-bought, 9-inch pie crust (preferably already in a pie pan) to make this pie.
  
  Typically, grocery stores sell two different types of store-bought pie crust. The first kind is where the dough is rolled up in a sheet, and you need to do the work of fitting it onto the pie plate yourself. The second kind is where the dough is already molded onto a pie pan (usually one made of disposable aluminum), and all you need to do is fill it. Depending on the brand, you end up with either an 8-inch or 9-inch pie. For this recipe, I used the latter kind where the pie dough has already been fitted into a plate.
  
  And if you’re the kind of baker who wants to make pie crust from scratch… no problem! Check out this 15-Minute Stand Mixer Pie Crust Recipe. I teach you how to make an all butter pie crust with your stand mixer in just 15 minutes!
  
  
• Kosher Salt: In my cookbook, I argue that kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes in this blog post. But in a pinch, you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with half its amount in table salt.
  
  
• Rhubarb: While testing this recipe, I found that you can use frozen rhubarb in this rhubarb custard pie recipe. As long as the rhubarb has been sliced into ½-inch pieces, there’s no need to even thaw the frozen rhubarb before using in this recipe! However, if you make this pie with frozen rhubarb, it’s likely that you’ll need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the Bake Time to fully cook the cold fruit.

My Best Recipe Tips

To Save You Time When Making The Recipe

• If 1 ½ hours of Bake Time sounds like too much time to sit around and wait, you can split the recipe up over a few days! On Day 1, pre bake the pie crust according to the recipe. Instead of filling it, let it cool completely to room temperature. Store overnight on the counter under a cake dome or a large bowl upside down. On Day 2, follow the instructions for making the rhubarb custard pie filling and baking the assembled pie.
  
  What’s the point of doing this? Breaking the recipe down this way allows you to fit it more easily into your schedule. That means no sitting around for hours at a time to wait for something to finish baking! Cool, right? If this sort of time-saving cooking technique appeals to you, I highly encourage you to check out my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. I break down common time-intensive recipes in this way!
  
  
• While the crust is baking in the oven, I like to prep the rhubarb by cleaning and slicing it for use in the filling. I then toss the rhubarb in ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Why? The sugar encourages the rhubarb to soften and release some of its fruit juice, making it more flavorful and toothsome.

About Ingredients

• Rhubarb is listed in the recipe by weight, not volume or size. Why? It’s risky not to include exact measures for fruit in baking recipes. Too little fruit and your baked good could potentially turn out dry and flavorless, while too much will cause your baked good to collapse in the center. This is especially important for recipes where the fruit is baked into the batter like banana bread. That being said, there’s more leeway with this rhubarb custard pie recipe. If you are more comfortable with using cup measures, note that this rhubarb custard pie recipes needs about 4 cups of rhubarb sliced into ½-inch chunks.
  
  
• Note that you’ll need to divide the sugar into two quantities: ¼ cup and 1 ¼ cup portions. The first ¼ cup is used to prep the rhubarb, while the remaining 1 ¼ cup is used to make the custard filling.

A Tip To Help You Bake The Perfect Pie

• When done, the rhubarb custard pie filling will be golden brown around the edges, but light in the center. Check the pie 45 minutes into its Bake Time. If the center is browning too quickly, cover with a loose piece of aluminum foil.