Spring is slowly arriving in Austria. Birds are going crazy, and first, wood garlic leaves are poking their heads up from the forest soil. One sure spring sign is that my vegetable handler has rhubarb for sale. Today was the day! I managed to get some fresh rhubarb. It’s still grown in the greenhouse, but still. I love it.

The following pie recipe is one of my favorites. This simple recipe was initially written by Katariina Pylsy. Owner of Maisemakahvila. Maisemakahvila is situated in Finland, close to city of Hämeenkyrö.

This recipe went viral on Finnish social media a couple of years ago. I don’t wonder why? It’s fast and straightforward to make. A significant advantage is that this same recipe can be adapted to work with many other fruits and berries.

Rhubarb pie from the Landscape café

One tray

Crumble mixture

• 8 dl wheat flour
• 3 dl sugar (I used 2 dl myself)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp crushed cardamom
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• 250 g melted butter

Pie crust

• 2/3 of the crumb mixture
• 2 dl buttermilk/yogurt/sour cream
• 1 egg

Pie filling

• 1 l rhubarb, diced (or more. I love rhubarb, so I tend to use a lot)
• 500 g quark, Greek yogurt, or sour cream
• 2 dl sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla sugar (1 tsp cinnamon)

For the pie topping, take 1/3 of the crumb mixture on one side

1. Mix the dry ingredients of the crumble mixture. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. Set aside one-third of the crumble mixture for topping.

2. For the pie bottom, mix buttermilk and egg and add them to the crumb mixture. Spread the dough on a high-edged tray or large pan lined with baking paper.

3. Wash and chop the rhubarb. I never peel rhubarb. Sprinkle the rhubarb over the crust.

4. Mix the filling ingredients and pour the filling over the rhubarb.

5. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the crumb mixture on top.

6. Bake the rhubarb pie at 175 degrees Celsius for about 45-50 minutes.

Serve with vanilla sauce or with vanilla ice cream.

TIPS: This pie recipe functions very well with other berries and fruits. Try mixing some strawberries with the rhubarb. That’s a good combination, too.