Fresh Strawberry Pie for Dessert--from generations of pie contest winners

   

This is a great pie for warm summer days. Or, for those of you who live in a place where strawberries are in the store but the weather is still cold and dreary, the pie is a springtime treat to remind you that warm summer days may arrive eventually. (We hope.)

What I like about this pie is that it uses fresh strawberries as well as a strawberry jam filling. We eat it topped with a little vanilla yogurt doctored up with orange juice, orange extract, honey and orange zest.

I also like the fact that my mother gave me the recipe. She got it from Grace Dietz, an elderly neighbor from our time in Chico, California. Mrs. Dietz won Best Cook in Corning CA in 1966 for her strawberry pie recipe.

For the crust, I like to use a pastry recipe from my daughter Kate, winner of the Johnson Count, Iowa 2008 Best Pie Crust contest at the Johnson County fair. I must admit though that she won the contest for a different pie crust, not this oil version.

I like that this crust is really easy to roll out and that it has a fall-apartness, which I find appealing. Rolling pie crusts has never been my forte. I use wax paper above and below the dough when I roll out the crust, with the bottom paper stuck to the counter with a little water. (Kate also recommends the Cook's Illustrated crust that uses vodka--it evaporates as the crust cooks. Her Christmas pecan pie this year used the vodka crust.) 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Baked 9” pie crust

1 1/2 large strawberry container

¼ cup cornstarch

1 cup sugar

Pinch salt

1 cup water

  

Let the pie shell cool thoroughly before filling.

Crush 1/3 of the berries. Slice the remaining 2/3 berries and set aside, saving a few whole berries for garnish. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, crushed berries, salt and water and cook until thickened, then continue cooking for a few more minutes until the mixture becomes clear.

 

Place ½ of the sliced berries in the pie shell. Add ½ of the thickened berries. Add the remaining berries and top with the remaining thickened berries. Let the pie cool in the refrigerator until it is set.

From Eleanor, May 1985

Oil Pastry Crust

8-INCH OR 9-INCH ONE-CRUST PIE

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Gold Medal Flour

½ tsp. salt

1/3 cup salad oil’2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

10-INCH ONE-CRUST OR 8 OR 9-INCH TWO CRUST PIE

1 ¾ cups Gold Medal Flour

1 tsp. salt

½ cup salad oil

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

10-INCH TWO CRUST PIE

1 2/3 cups Gold Medal Flour

1 ½ tsp. salt

¾ cup salad oil

4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Measure flour and salt into bowl. Add oil; mix until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl. (If the dough seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. Do not add water.)  Gather the dough together; press firmly into a ball.

For one-crust pie:  Shape the dough into a flattened round. For two-crust pie, divide the dough in half. Place the flattened round between two strips of waxed paper. Wipe the table with a damp cloth to prevent the paper from slipping. Roll the pastry 2 inches larger than an inverted pie pan. Peel off the top paper. Place the pastry, paper side up, in the pan. Peel off the paper.

Complete as with any crust. A baked pie shell requires 12-15 minutes at 475 and a standard pie.

From Kate, @2000