Dessert Recipe: Strawberry Pie

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

FILLING

• 2 quarts fresh strawberries, washed and hulled. Halve one quart, and slice the remaining quart lengthwise into 4 to 5 slices.
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoonno-sugar-needed fruit pectin
• a pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• a pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREBAKED PIESHELL

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter chilled
• 4 teaspoons sour cream
• 3-4 tablespoons ice water

Directions

1. Make the pie shell first. Process the flour, salt, and sugar together in a food processor until combined (about 3 seconds). Add butter and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas.
2. Use a fork and mix the sour cream and 3 tablespoons of ice water in the bowl until combined. Add half of the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and pulse for 3 1-second pulses. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers. If the dough is floury, dry, and doesn’t hold together, add an additional tablespoon of water and process until no dry flour remains.
3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, and flatten into a 4″ disk. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate until firm (1 to 2 hours) before rolling.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F. Roll the disk of dough out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper into a 12″ circle. Remove the parchment paper from one side and flip into a 9″ pie pan. Peel off the second layer of parchment paper and slowly ease the dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the bottom of the plate with the other. Leave any overhanging dough in place. Refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).
5. Trim the overhang to 1/3″ beyond the lip of the pie plate and fold the overhang under itself so the folded edge is flush with the edge of the pie plate. Flute the dough to flatten against the rim of the pie plate. Press a doubled 12″ piece of foil inside the shell, folding the foil over the edges to shield. Add pie weights over the foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the dough is light brown in color. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is golden brown (5 to 10 minutes). Let cool on wire rack.
6. Puree 2 cups of the halved berries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the pureed strawberries to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, pectin, and a pinch of salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it boils, increase the heat to medium-high and boil hard until the sugar and pectin are dissolved (about 1 minute). Off heat, skim foam from the surface with a large spoon.
7. Meanwhile, mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl until already smooth. Off heat, add the cornstarch mixture to the strawberry puree then return to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and clear (about 3 minutes). Off heat, stir in cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla. Reserve 1/4 cup of the glaze to the side for the topping and transfer the rest to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature at 15 minutes.
8. Using a rubber spatula, fold the sliced strawberries into the large bowl of glaze, turning several times to coat the strawberries thoroughly. Turn the glazed strawberries into the pie shell and spread evenly. Place the remaining strawberry halves in a concentric circle on the top with the flat side down and the pointed ends pointed toward the center. Stir 2 tablespoons of water into the reserved 1/4 cup glaze to thin it out. Brush the glaze over the berry halves to finish the pie. Refrigerate until cols for at least 2 hours. Garnish with mint and serve.
9. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromAmerica’s Test Kitchen