Strawberry Pie

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This pie was an adventure. Last weekend, I bought a bunch of strawberries just in case the strawberry truffle ganache topping for my lemon cheesecake did not work out. I saw that they were still in the fridge untouched on Friday morning, when I also noticed this recipe. Perfect! I’ll just use those leftover strawberries for a pie! Or so I thought.

Turns out, rhubarb is rather difficult to pin down. I checked six grocery stores over the course of the weekend, but only came as close as Whole Foods being “sold out” (allegedly, there would be more the following morning) and a produce store having planted rhubarb (like, in plant form). So I disappointingly returned home with no prospects of strawberry-rhubarb pie.

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Finally, I just decided to scrap the rhubarb and find a strawberry pie recipe. Great! I found this recipe. But then I checked the strawberries in the fridge. They were frozen solid. And moldy. Lovely. So, I trekked over to the grocery store AGAIN to buy strawberries (and Breyers homemade vanilla ice cream, you know, for my struggles…).

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This pie is so easy to put together. Once pie crusts are made and strawberries are sliced, it takes no time really. I had made the crusts in the morning anticipating a day of pie making, and I’ve decided that this pie crust recipe is way easier and more consistent than any other I’ve tried. Plus, it tastes really good, too. So, unless someone can convince me otherwise, I’m sticking with this recipe.

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I really loved this pie. I basically ate it all myself in two nights. This is mostly because there was an awesome sale of Ben & Jerry’s that I noticed during my travels through grocery store hell, and, well, we have six pints of ice cream in the freezer now. So, my wife opted for some of that instead. But, this pie is delicious. The only problem is you legitimately have to wait until it is completely cooled, which I did not. The first couple slices were not really slices (I ate them in a bowl with a spoon).

I advise patience (for cutting) and restraint (for eating). I’m definitely making this one again.

STRAWBERRY PIE
Based on recipes found here and here.

INGREDIENTS

Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup vegetable shortening, cubed and chilled
2/3 cup ice water

Strawberry Filling:
48 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (67 g) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch
Large pinch of salt
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger, heaping
1 egg, beaten
Granulated sugar, for topping unbaked pie

DIRECTIONS:

  1. For the pie crust: Blend flour and salt together in a food processor.
  2. Pulse chilled butter and shortening into the flour mixture until there are pea-sized morsels of fat.
  3. Drizzle in the ice water and blend just until the dough starts to form (i.e. not very long).
  4. On a floured surface, fold the dough until flour is incorporated into the fats, form into a ball, divide in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour while the strawberries are prepared.
  5. For the strawberry filling: In a large bowl, toss strawberries, sugars, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and ginger until well mixed and no cornstarch is visible. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to macerate while the pie crust is prepared.
  6. For the assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  7. Roll out one of the pie crusts (keep the other in the refrigerator) and place the dough into a 9″ pie plate, trimming any overhang.
  8. Fill the pie crust by spooning in the strawberries, trying to leave as much liquid as possible behind in the bowl.
  9. Remove the other pie crust and roll the dough out. Using a pizza cutter, cut strips sized to your liking and prepare the lattice crust. Trim any overhang and clamp down the edges of the lattice into the pie crust.
  10. Brush the lattice top with the beaten egg and sprinkle it with sugar.
  11. Place pie onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (to catch any spillover), and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for another 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling.
  12. Allow the pie to cool completely (preferably overnight, 4-5+ hours) before serving.

 

Posted in: Pie