Summer Strawberry Pie
It may not officially be summer until the 21st, but I'm already in a summer state of mind, so I let that feeling inspire me this week. Strawberry pie is on the menu! Is there anything more summery than a strawberry?
My tastes seem a little contradictory in that I don't really like warm fruit (especially berries), but I love fruit pies. The result of this is that after making a pie, most of the time I put it in the fridge before consuming it. I know it's not ideal, but it's who I am!
The great thing about this pie is that it's meant to be chilled! This also makes it extra refreshing on a hot day. It would go great with a glass of lemonade (is there anything more summery than lemonade?) while you relax after some time spent in the sun (is there anything more summery than the sun??).
In all seriousness, though, this pie makes a great dessert for this time of year. It's light and refreshing, simultaneously sweet and tart, and (provided you can keep it cool) perfect to bring along to a cookout. Is there anything more summery than a cookout?
SUMMER STRAWBERRY PIE
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Set Time: 6+ hours
Ingredients
1 9-inch pie crust, baked already
4 cups fresh strawberries*
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 T lemon juice
3 T cornstarch
heavy whipping cream, or pre-made whipped cream
Directions
Wash and hull your strawberries. For the first 2 cups of berries, depending on their size, either halve them (if they're larger) or leave whole (if they're small, like locally-grown berries will tend to be). Place them as evenly as you can in the baked pie crust, and set aside.
Mash the remaining 2 cups of berries in a medium saucepan. Stir in the sugar, and place saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently so you avoid burning the sugar.
Stir water and lemon juice together in a small bowl, and whisk the cornstarch in. Slowly add this mixture into the strawberry mixture when it's at a boil. Then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until it's thickened.
After the strawberry mixture is thickened, pour it over the berries already in the crust (which you prepped at the start).
Place the pie in the refrigerator for around 6 hours before serving. To be safe, leaving it for more time is good too, since each time you make this the consistency may be different and it may need more time to firm up.
In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form, or just get your reddi-whip ready to go! Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.
*I want to note: I know that measuring strawberries by cups (or by anything, really) is a little difficult, but just do your best estimating! The amount of strawberries doesn't need to be exact.
Happy Eating,
Natalie