Who wants some Fresh Strawberry Pie ? No Jello in your cupboard? No worries! As long as you have a little cornstarch, you’re ready to go! Not only is this made with freshly picked strawberries, a late spring/early summer tradition, but the crust is made from scratch using my Ultimate All-Butter Pie Crust. (Stay tuned for how to keep it from getting a soggy bottom!)
Pie Crust:
Blind-bake the pie crust using directions linked at Ultimate All-Butter Pie Crust . Here’s a pie crust in the works, though. Look at that flakiness! It’s easy to incorporate the butter more evenly by grating it cold. Personally, I like to mix it in by hand. Follow this by adding 2 tablespoons and mix it with a wooden spoon. Once the water is blended in, I again use my hands to form it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling out the crust.
After the first bake of the blind-bake process, the pie weights are removed, and a fork is used to prick the sides and bottom. To help prevent a soggy bottom, whisk one egg white until frothy. This helps to seal the crust to make it less permeable by liquid. Liberally brush the bottoms and sides using a pastry brush. If you have extra pie dough leftover, roll it out and cut out small shapes to use as a garnish for the whipped cream. Put these on parchment paper, brush them with more of the egg white wash and bake them along side the pie crust for the second bake. Gorgeous, isn’t it? Allow it to cool before filling.
Filling:
While this is baking, bring to a boil the pureed strawberries, water, sugar and cornstarch. Boil and stir constantly for about 3 minutes as it thickens. Take it off of the burner and allow it to cool a bit. Next quarter fresh strawberries to measure about 4 cups.
Once the crust is cool, layer the bottom with the quartered strawberries.
Pour the thickened strawberry filling over the top and spread it out evenly, allowing it to seep down and fill in spaces.
Allow the Fresh Strawberry Pie to chill 2-3 hours before serving. A sharp knife, not serrated, is best to help slice through the fresh/firm strawberries. If you look, you can see the bottom crust is not soggy, Yeah! Look at that flakiness!
Serve it up on a hot summer day topped with whipped cream and a small pastry (star) garnish. You may just have to go pick some more strawberries because you’re not going to get enough of this dessert! Enjoy!
Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1-1/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 c butter(1 stick), cold, grated
- 1/2 t sugar
- 2 T ice water
- 1 egg white, whisked til frothy
Strawberry Filling
- 1-1-1/4 c pureed strawberries
- 3/4 c sugar
- 3 T cornstarch
- 1/2 c water
- 4 c quartered strawberries, fresh, not frozen
Whipped Cream
- 1 c heavy whipping cream
- 3 T confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 t vanilla
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Prepare pie dough and the blind-baked crust according to directions:www.mydragonflycafe.com/ultimate-all-butter-pie crust
- Before the second bake cycle, brush frothy egg white generously over the pricked crust. Bake 15 more minutes and allow it to cool completely before adding the filling.
Strawberry Filling
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the pureed strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and water.
- Bring to a boil and continue to whisk for about 3 minutes as it thickens. Remove from the heat to allow to cool.
- Cut fresh strawberries into quarters to measure 4 cups. Set aside
- Once cooled, layer the strawberries in the bottom of the pie crust.
- Pour the cooked/cooled filling over the top of the cut strawberries and spread out to fill in crevices.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before slicing. Use a sharp knife, not serrated, to cut through fresh strawberries in pie. Top with whipped cream,
Whjpped Cream
- Whip at high speed until peaks are stiff. Store unused portion in the refrigerator.
