A coppi is a rustic, free-form, Italian-style pie. To ensure the butter is cold, pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes before using.
Pastry Crust: 1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch salt
125g very cold butter
3 tablespoons icy water
Filling: 400g strawberries, hulled and sliced
4 cups 3cm rhubarb pieces, about 400g
4 tablespoons sugar
Topping: 1 egg, lightly beaten
3-4 tablespoons sugar extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon butter, diced
Combine the flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Quickly pulse to combine.
Cut the butter into 2cm pieces. Drop pieces into the food processor. Pulse in short bursts, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the icy water all at once. Pulse until clumps start to form. If it looks a little dry, add a little more water. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To bake the coppi, first preheat the oven to 220°C. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
Combine the strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl. Toss together with the sugar. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves.
On a lightly floured sheet of baking paper, roll the dough into a round about 33cm in diameter. Pinch any rough edges together.
Pile the filling onto the centre of the pastry to within 5cm of the edge. Fold the edges of the pastry up and over the fruit, squeezing together any gaps or folds.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with the extra sugar. Place a few dots of butter on top of the exposed fruit filling.
Carefully slide the baking paper (with the coppi on it) onto a baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the juices inside the crust are bubbling and the crust is browned.
Cool for about 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Great served with custard or whipped cream. Serves 6.