strawberry pie

One of my favorite things about spring and summer is the abundance of fresh produce that's available. I love berries of all kinds and adore other summer fruit like peaches and plums.  Even though I could eat them on their own, I'm always looking for new ways to use fresh, seasonal fruit.

Before I saw this recipe, I had never heard of strawberry pie before.  Apparently, it's quite common and I have been missing out!  Please note that this is not a traditional baked pie-only the crust is actually baked-this prevents the strawberries from making the whole pie soggy. This pie is perfectly sweet and I love that the dominant taste is truly the strawberries as there is no crust on top-this pie really lets the strawberries shine!

Strawberry Pie

3 pounds strawberries (about 3-4 pints), rinsed and hulled

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoons Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes (pink box)

Large pinch of table salt

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 baked 9-inch pie shell*

Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Make the filling.  To do so, set aside 1 1/2 cups of the "not so perfect"/"unattractive" strawberries and halve the large ones. In a food processor or blender, puree the strawberries for 30 seconds or until smooth (you should be left with about 3/4 cup of puree).

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell and salt; whisk gently.  Stir in the strawberry puree and cook the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil and allow mixture to boil for 2 minutes, scrapping the bottoms and sides of the saucepan constantly.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add the lemon juice. Set aside and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Select 2 pounds of the most attractive strawberries, halving the largest ones. Gently fold the strawberries into the prepared mixture (which will resemble a glaze) until evenly coated. Pile the strawberries into the prepared pie shell. Refrigerate the pie until chilled, about 2 hours, but try to serve within 5 hours of chilling.

*To bake your pie crust ahead of time, roll chilled pie dough into a 12-inch circle.  Line a 9-inch pie plate with the rolled out dough and crimp the edges. Cover dough with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the low-middle position. Line the chilled pie dough with parchment paper or foil, laying it over the edges of the dough. Fill with weights (such as dried beans) and bake 2--25 minutes, until the surface looks dry. Remove the weights and paper/foil and return to the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes more, until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before filling.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Cook's Illustrated