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Fresh Strawberry Pie
Strawberry Pie |
I love a fresh strawberry pie – the
kind without all the goo – or jello-like bouncy stuff (gelatin) to hold it
together. Strawberry pies with pastry cream are, well, are tarts and not pies. I
set out to make truly fresh strawberry pie – one that featured the strawberries
alone in all their glory. In the summer, there is no sweeter or fruitier flavor
than ripe berries from your nearby farmers market. The struggle in making a
fresh pie is how to hold the strawberries together in the pre-baked crust so
you can easily cut it. As long as you use ripe fruit, strawberry pie
practically makes itself, right? It’s actually the berries’ juice (ripe or
otherwise) that can make the filling soupy. Creating my ideal pie, fresh fruit
held together by a glossy fruity glaze in a buttery pastry shell – hinged on
getting the thickener just right.
Strawberries do not ripen after they
have been harvested, so choose strawberries that have been picked fully ripened
and buy when you are ready to use them. They should have a bright red color,
natural shine and fresh looking green caps. Select berries that are in a dry,
unstained container (stained containers may indicate over soft berries that are
not freshly picked). Mold on berries spreads quickly – never leave a moldy
berry next to a good one. Don’t you dare wash them until you are ready to
use them – strawberries are like small sponges, ready to soak up all the
water they can come into contact with, and once they’ve soaked it all up they
are quicker to turn to mush and rot away. The less they are handled, the
better. If storing overnight, keep them cold, 36 – 38 degree F, open container,
let them breathe. No plastic bag! Leave the caps (stems) on the berries until
ready to eat or use in a recipe and remove only after washing.
The most important ingredient! |
The pastry shell can be made 2 days
before, baked the day before, but the strawberry assembly is best done the day
of serving – at least 2-3 hours ahead as it needs time to set-up.
- Single all-butter pastry crust– prebaked and cooled.
- 3 lbs. fresh strawberries (about 4 pints)
- ¾ C granulated sugar
- 2 Tb cornstarch
- 1 Tb fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp pectin – use pink box (low acid) pectin
- Pinch salt
- Whipping cream (optional)
Make your single crust for a 9-inch
pie plate well in advance so it will cool before building your pie. It can be
made the day before and tightly but gently covered with foil overnight. See
recipe for the all-butter pie pastry
posted 7/9/12 for the Summer Honey Caramel Peach Pie (searchable on the blog). The all-butter pastry
dough recipe is at the bottom of the post. As that is for a pie with a top and
bottom crust, you can either make half a recipe – or make the full recipe and
store the remaining dough in your refrigerator or freezer for another pie or
tart.
Once you have rolled out the pastry
and placed into your 9-inch pie plate, refrigerate the dough-lined plate until
firm, about 15 minutes. Remove pie plate from refrigerator
and use a fork to prick the bottom of the dough. Line the crust and sides with
foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove
foil and weight, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 additional minutes, until
crust is golden brown and crisp. Let cool
to room temperature. Remove
from oven. Let it cool completely before adding strawberries. If making the day
before, once completely cool, wrap tightly in foil and store overnight room
temperature.
Pie weights on the crust |
Lifting the pie weights after baking |
Prepare 3 lb. fresh strawberries for use by rinsing with caps still
attached under a gentle spray of cool water; pat dry with a paper towel. Wash
them just before you plan to use them. Remove the green caps (stems) with
either a light twisting motion, with point of a paring knife or use a
strawberry de-stemmer/huller (see pic). Leave strawberries whole. Select 8
ounces of the most unattractive berries – you should have about 1½ Cups. In a
food processor or blender, process the berries to a smooth puree, 20 to 30
seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Strawberries after removing the caps |
This is the tool for "de-capping" the strawberries |
Whisk ¾ C sugar, 2 Tb cornstarch, 1½ tsp low acid pectin and pinch of salt
in a medium saucepan. Stir in the berry puree, making sure to scrape the
corners of the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a
heatproof rubber spatula, and bring to a full boil. Boil, scraping the bottom
and sides of the pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that the
cornstarch is fully cooked (mixture will appear frothy when it first reaches a
boil, then will darken and thicken with further cooking). Transfer to a large
bowl and stir in 1 Tb lemon juice.
Let cool to room temperature.
Pectin, starch, etc in the bowl |
Added to the blended berries |
Meanwhile,
pick over the remaining berries and measure out 2-2½ pounds of the most
attractive ones. Keep them whole. (Cut strawberries release too much liquid and make the pie
soupy). Add the berries to
the bowl with the glaze and fold gently with a rubber spatula until the berries
are evenly coated. Scoop the berries into the pie shell, piling into a mound in
the center. If necessary, rearrange the berries so that holes are filled and
the mound looks attractive. Refrigerate pie until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve
within 5 hours of chilling.
After adding the blended strawberries |
Just before serving, add a piping of
whipping cream along the outer edge of the pie or decoratively add a floret of
whipping cream to each serving. This pie
is best cut carefully with a serrated knife.
There is no better time of the year
to make this pie! The berries are at
their best – and this pie is a wonderful relatively healthy option for a summer
night treat. Big, fresh strawberries in a thick strawberry glaze piled
into a piecrust and adorned with big swirls of whipped cream. What could be
better!
Larue
Recipe
adapted: Cooks Illustrated
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. I'm a friend of Wilma's. She's with me right now. I'm now following you and looking forward to your posts.
Be seeing you.
I wanted to second that this pie is sooooooooo good!!!!! I have this Cook's Illustrated issue and love it, especially their recipe for crepes, sweet and tangy coleslaw with apples and tarragon, juicy pub-style burgers, spring vegetable pasta, and Nasi goreng, all recommended! We also love their Cook's Country Icebox Strawberry Pie, which is quite a different style using sliced strawberries and gelatin, so it sounds like with the gelatin you wouldn't like that one as much. I have made them both twice each; this is my fav and the other is my husband's fav, but we both love both, and I can't imagine anyone not loving a slice of this pie!
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