RHUBERRY PIE

Steps:

• 1. Bring pie crusts to room temp, as directed on package. When crusts are at room temp, handling them the way the box instructions tell you, put one of them into a 9" pie plate. (If you prefer to make a home-made crust for a two-crust pie, that's great! Go for it! ha!) Preheat oven to 400°.
• 2. In a large bowl, toss the fruit w/ the lemon juice, to coat.
• 3. Mix in all other filling ingredients. Toss filling ingreds. gently, to mix.
• 4. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate.
• 5. Cut up the second crust into small rectangles, about 2" x 1-1/2" in size. [Hint: use a pizza cutter to do this; makes it really easy!] Lay these small rectangles across the pie filling, alternating rows, leaving about an inch between squares [to look like a checkerboard pattern]. Corners of the crust pieces should touch, from row to row. Take remaining pieces and line the edge of the pie crust with them, overlapping, if necessary. (See JAP's version of the checkerboard top in their photo, above). TIP: use a small cookie cutter instead of cutting 2nd crust into rectangles. Lay cookie cutter shapes on top of filling for a creative look! I use my heart- or star- or flower-shaped bread tubes as cutters; the shapes look great on top of pies! I used the flower-shaped bread tube in the main recipe photo).
• 6. Brush the crust with the milk, using a soft pastry brush. Friends from where I used to live in New England call this "washing its face!" Sprinkle the coarse sugar onto the milky crust.
• 7. Cover the crust edge with foil, to prevent excessive browning HINT: instead of using several thin strips of foil around edges, and fighting w/them to stay on, try this ... tear off a square of foil, and cut a circle out of the middle, leaving a "frame" of about 2" to cover the outer edge of the pie. Remove foil during the last 15 - 20 minutes of baking time.
• 8. Bake for approx 45 - 50 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly in the middle and the crust is a pretty golden brown. PROTECT YOUR OVEN by putting pie onto a cookie sheet before putting in the oven. If it boils over, you'll have a real red/purple mess! Cool to room temp before serving.