Strawberry Pie

 

I dare you to say your mouth isn’t watering.

Yes, this is how I spent one of my precious free hours this morning.  Baking a fresh strawberry pie for my family to devour after dinner.  This, and freshly laundered sheets on the beds that every single one of them will crawl into tonight.  And they have the nerve to ask me what I did all day.

Okay, enough with the pity party.  On to the recipe that will change the way you look at a strawberry.  You can thank me after you’ve whipped up one of your own.

Crust:
1.5 c. crushed shortbread cookie crumbs
1.4 c. chopped blanched almonds
1.3 c. melted butter (don’t even think about using margarine).

Filling:
6 c. hulled strawberries
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1.3 c. water
1.4 t. salt
1.2 t. almond extract (althoug vanilla will work in a pinch)

So you start by preheating the oven to 350.  Mix the crust ingredients together in a bowl and then press on the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.  Bake for 8 minutes and then let it cool completely.

While that cools, mash enough strawberries to equal 1 cup.  In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch.  Stir in mashed strawberries and water.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (no cheating, the e-mail can wait), until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil.  Boil one minute.  Remove from heat.  Let cool ten minutes.  Then stir in salt and extract.  While it cools, arrange remaining strawberries in cooled crust.

Once the strawberry/sugar mixture has cooled, pour it over the pretty strawberries in the crust.  Stick the whole shebang in the fridge and let it chill for at least 3 hours.  Garnish with whipped cream and you won’t. be. sorry.  Promise.

13 comments

  1. I have never made a pie. When I need to bring a dessert somewhere or are wanting something special for some special occasion at home, I visit the bakery at the Whole Foods store and purchase one that they have made. Your delicious looking pie keeps coming back to mind. Especially tonight as I was stuck in traffic on my way home from work. I might try to make this pie this weekend. I might have to make an extra trip to the store to get a pie pan though. :) I bet it tasted great last night! Yum!

    P.S. Thanks for the great directions! I think I found a bunch of hidden Mickey strawberries in the pie. :)

  2. OK – I am making this tomorrow! And then bringing it to a pool party Sunday. And I don’t cook!!!

    Looks amazing! Thanks Darcie!!!

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