Well, it was March 14th (3/14). You know, pie (π) day. I knew I was going to bake a pie, so I put my crusts together, wrapped and refrigerated them. Now all I had to do was figure out what to put into the crust, so off to the store I went to see what they had that I could turn into a pie. Well, they had some good looking strawberries, 2 quarts for $4. The only berry pie I had ever made was blueberry, but I figured the principle would be the same, so I picked up my strawberries, and a lemon, and headed home. Following is what I came up with. I’ve included my pie crust recipe, which I’ve developed over the years, but you can use whatever you like…even store bought crusts…the pie police aren’t going to come knocking on your door! I hope you enjoy this taste of summer.
Strawberry Pie
CRUSTS:
- 3 Cups All-purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp. White Sugar
- ½ Tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- ¾ Cup Vegetable Shortening
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
- ½ Cup Ice Water (approximately)
FILLING:
2 Quarts (about 5 cups) Strawberries, hulled and sliced- Zest of ½ a Lemon
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Tsp. Cinnamon
- Pinch of Salt
TOPPING:
- 1 Egg Beaten
- 1 Tbsp. Water
- 1 Tsp. White Sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare your pie dough. Cut your butter into small cubes and add it to a bowl with the vegetable shortening. Put the bowl with the contents in the freezer for around 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry blender (or a food processor, if you prefer), cut the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture until you get a pea-sized “gravel” texture. Add the ice water, a little at a time, stirring between additions, until you get a rough dough (I use my fingertips, but you can also do this in a food processor). The amount of water you use will vary depending on the humidity, temperature, etc., so figure “up to” ½ cup. Once mixed, divide your dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, and flatten each ball slightly into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
While your dough is chilling, prepare your filling. Hull and slice your strawberries. In a bowl combine the strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Gently fold together until the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside for about 30 minutes.- Preheat your oven to 400°. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin (or between 2 sheets of plastic), roll out the larger of the 2 discs of dough until a little over an inch larger than the size of you pie pan (about 1/8” thick). Transfer the dough and fit it in your pie pan.
Fill the pie crust with the strawberry filling.- Roll out your second pie crust the same as the first. This time, using a ruler, you’re going to cut the crust into strips for the lattice top. I use a pizza cutter for this…it makes quick work of it.
- Lay ½ of the strips over the filled pie crust, leaving the same space between them as the width of the strips. Then weave the remaining strips, one at a time, with the first set of strips, forming the lattice. Fold the edges over and crimp.
- Whisk together the egg and Tbsp. of water. Brush the crust with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the pie with the Tbsp. of sugar. Place on a baking sheet (I covered mine with parchment paper, to quicken clean up) and bake on the middle rack of your pre-heated 400° oven for about 40 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is bubbly.
- Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Enjoy!
