Sunday, July 11, 2010

Strawberry pie


I asked Amber to take some pictures of this pie, because goodness knows she's much better at that stuff than I am!
I will issue a warning about this pie: Be prepared for the whole thing to disappear in one sitting! Okay, here goes:

Pastry shell:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 Tablespoons ice water

Stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture. Gently toss with a fork. Repeat moistening dough, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until all the dough is moistened. You don't want it stick, just wet enough to make a crumbly ball. On a lightly-floured surface, roll dough from the center to the edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Generously prick bottom and sides of pastry in pie plate with a fork. Prick all around where bottom and sides meet. Line pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5-6 minutes more, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Filling:
8 cups medium strawberries
2/3 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Remove stems from strawberries. Cut any large strawberries in half lengthwise; set aside.
For glaze, in a blender/food processor, combine 1 cup of the strawberries and 2/3 cup water. Cover and blend until smooth. Add enough additional water to the mixture to equal 1 1/2 cups. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in blended berry mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes, off the burner, without stirring.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the glaze over bottom and sides of baked pastry shell. Arrange half of the remaining strawberries, stem end down, in the pastry shell. Carefully spoon half of the remaining glaze over fruit, thoroughly covering each piece of fruit. Arrange remaining fruit over first layer. Spoon remaining glaze over fruit, covering each piece. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Great with whipped cream!

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