STRAWBERRY PIE

By Meisje

RECIPE NOTES FOR STRAWBERRY PIE:
This pie requires some planning ahead to do right. The glaze needs some time in the fridge a good 4 hours) to thicken and set before the pie is ready to eat, otherwise, the glaze will be too runny and won’t hold together when you cut the pie.
Baking pie crust in the heat of the day can really warm up the house. I recommend doing the crust in the morning—you can fill it up anytime. I use these pie weights for the blind baking an just love them.
Do not use a shallow pie plate for this recipe. It won’t accommodate the really generous volume of fresh strawberries. I recommend a plate that’s 9-9.5 inch diameter and is about a 2-inch deep dish as well. This is the pie plate I’ve been using and really loving.
Okay, time for a confession. I generally don’t make pie crust from scratch. (Who has time for that?) The old shortcut—a premade, roll-out pastry crust—will work just fine with this recipe. But, if you want to go all out and make a crust from scratch (you’re a saint), just use your favorite pie crust recipe instead.
Also, remember to let the glaze cool completely to room temperature before tossing in the sliced strawberries. If you don’t, the heat of the glaze will cause the strawberries to wilt and get mushy.
Don’t skip out on the lemon juice. It adds a really nice bit of acidity that helps to balance out the sweetness of the pie. Using lemon zest as well helps to add a lot of fantastic lemon flavor that you just can’t get from lemon juice alone.
I always start the glaze with boiling water. This helps to jump-start the dissolving of the gelatin and cornstarch, which is important so you don’t accidentally overwork the cornstarch.
It’s important to whisk the glaze constantly while making it prevent the sugars from sticking and/or the cornstarch from clumping.
Be sure the gelatin is completely dissolved during the cooking process. But also be careful that you don’t cook it past that point. The glaze will continue to thicken as it cools. In fact, it’s not altogether that thick until it’s set for a few hours in the fridge. This recipe calls for adding cornstarch to the glaze. Cornstarch is a wonderful thickening agent and very stable. It’s counterintuitive, but cornstarch will actually lose its thickening ability if it’s cooked too long or whisked too much. Both under-dissolved gelatin and over-cooked cornstarch can make the glaze too soupy and give it a cloudy appearance.
Whipped cream rosettes can be the “icing on the pie,” so to speak. I whip together 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. This pie is delicious with or without whipped cream, and I grew up eating it without any at all. But these days my family likes it served with double the whipped cream layered over the top like frosting on a cake. It’s not the prettiest of presentations, but WOW is it yummy.

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1 9 Inch Baked Pie Crust
• 6-7 Cups Sliced Strawberries Fresh Strawberries
• 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Cornstarch
• 6 Ounce Box Strawberry Flavored Gelatin
• 2 Cups Boiling Water
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preparation

Step 1

STRUCTIONS
In a saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, and boiling water. Whisk constantly as the mixture heats up to prevent clumping. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in lemon juice, zest and vanilla
Rinse the strawberries and lay them out on paper towels to remove all excess water. Remove the stems, hull and cut the strawberries into 3/8 inch thick slices. Place cut berries into a large mixing bowl.

Pour 2/3's of the glaze over the sliced strawberries and toss to evenly distribute the glaze. Pour the glazed berries into the baked and cooled pie shell. Drizzle the remaining glaze evenly over the top of the pie. Place the pie in the fridge for 4 hours before cutting.