Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pithivier

Strawberry rhubarb pithivier in a glass pie plate surrounded by fresh strawberries.

5 from 6 votes

Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pithivier

To make this vegan strawberry rhubarb pithivier, a puff pastry crust is layered with a creamy, sweet almond frangipane and seasonal rhubarb strawberry filling. All of it is covered in more puff pastry and baked in an oven until golden.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Cooling time4

Total Time5 20

Course: Dessert, Pie

Cuisine: French inspired

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 408kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Heavy bottomed saucepan
Food processor
9-inch pie plate

Ingredients

For puff pastry crust

2 sheets puff pastry (1 pound)
1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
1 teaspoon nondairy milk

For almond frangipane

1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup nondairy milk
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon almond extract

For strawberry rhubarb filling

1 pound rhubarb (cut in small cubes. Remove any stringy parts.)
½ pound strawberries (hulled, cut into small cubes)
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the frangipane

Place all ingredients for the filling-- almond flour, cornstarch, sugar, melted or softened vegan butter, almond extract and nondairy milk in a food processor or in a bowl.
Mix until a thick but smooth frangipane forms.

Make the strawberry rhubarb filling

Place the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the strawberries and rhubarb begin to express lots of juice.
Continue to cook 4-5 minutes more until the mixture begins to thicken.
Lower the heat and continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes or until the mixture is jammy and very thick and the rhubarb is very soft. You don't want any discernible liquid in the filling. Don't walk away when cooking the filling as it can burn easily.
Stir in the vanilla and butter and turn off the heat rightaway. Let the mixture cool.

Assemble and bake the pithivier

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.
Roll out the puff pastry sheets -- one 11 inches square and the other 10 inches. Flour the surface lightly if you need to in order to prevent the puff pastry from sticking as you roll.
Cut out discs in the puff pastry sheets using a 9-inch pie plate as a template. The first disc, which will be the bottom crust, should be about an inch wider than the pie plate. The second disc, the top crust, should be the same diameter as the pie plate.
Fit the larger puff pastry disc inside the pie plate and over the edges.
Scoop out the frangipane filling into pie plate. Use a knife or offset spatula to spread it evenly across the bottom of the crust.
Pour the cooled strawberry rhubarb filling over the frangipane and smooth into an even layer.
Fit the remaining puff pastry disc over the top of the pie plate and crimp the edges of the top and bottom crust together to create a tight seal.
Use a sharp knife to make a hole in the top of the crust to let the steam escape. Then, moving from the top of the crust to the bottom, score the crust in curved lines. The cuts should be superficial--don't cut through the pastry.
Mix a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of nondairy milk in a small bowl. Brush it on top of the crust. This is optional--it helps give the crust a nice color.
Place the pithivier pie plate on a baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake 40-45 minutes until the puff pastry is golden and the juices are bubbling. Optionally, about five minutes before baking ends, remove pithivier from the oven and dust some powdered sugar on top. Return to the oven for five minutes.
Cool the pithivier at room temperature for 4-5 hours until completely cool. Slice and eat.

Notes

Make ahead and storage:

Make ahead: Make the almond frangipane and strawberry rhubarb filling up to three days ahead and refrigerate. You can also make them a few weeks ahead and freeze. Thaw before using. Assemble the pithivier before baking.
Refrigerate: The pithivier and/or leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
Freeze: For longer storage wrap the pie in freezer wrap or store slices in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to three months.
Reheating: Thaw the frozen pie in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in preheated 350 degree oven until heated through. You might need to cover the crust with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.

Tips and tweaks:

You can use only rhubarb to make this recipe. In that case use a pound and a half of rhubarb.
Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic combination. But raspberries would also work very nicely with the rhubarb, as would blackberries and blueberries.
To make this recipe healthier you can use a whole wheat puff pastry -- my homemade version has half the fat of regular puff pastry. You can also skip the vegan butter in the filling and the frangipane and use more non dairy milk in the frangipane instead.

Nutrition