Fresh Strawberry Pie

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Three day weekends are pretty great. Especially the Friday before they start. Always feels like an assembly day in high school. Things are different—a break from the routine. There is a nice energy in the air and the weekend feels like it will last forever. This particular holiday weekend is especially exciting because it marks the unofficial start of summer. People fire up their barbecues and spend time outdoors. I’m looking forward to an extra day off as much as anyone and am looking forwarding to some good food and friends. This strawberry pie was a good way to get started. It is like a fantasy of what we should all be eating on Memorial Day weekend.

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It would be the perfect thing to bring to a friend’s bbq or take on a picnic. It is easy to prepare and very delicious. I would serve it with some lightly sweetened whipped cream and enjoy the start of summer. Because, like the three day weekend, the summer will go quickly and we need to start enjoying every minute of it.

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I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy some time with the people you love. I’ll be in the kitchen and will return next week with some new recipes to share and a very special guest post. Until then, TGIF.

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You should find really good strawberries for this. Big (1 1/2-inchish) juicy ones that are fully ripe (no white shoulders) and taste delicious. It will make a big difference in the finished product. Also look for best quality shortbread, no preservatives or weird ingredients. Since there are so few ingredients here, it is important they are all good.

Fresh Strawberry Pie (adapted from the June 2008 Gourmet)

Crust:

  • 1 5-ounce package shortbread cookies
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling:

  • 2 pounds strawberries, hulled
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2 1/4 teaspoons)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs, add sugar and butter and pulse until combined. Carefully press crumb mixture into 9-inch pie pan. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Select 15 large strawberries as close to same size as possible and set aside. Cut remaining strawberries into 1/4-inch dice and toss with sugar and lemon juice. Let stand, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Drain berries in a sieve set into a large glass measuring cup. Add enough water to make 2 cups. Transfer to a medium saucepan and set berries aside.

Sprinkle gelatin over strawberry liquid and let soften 1 minute. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring until gelatin has dissolved. Add diced berries and then transfer to a metal bowl set into an ice bath and stir frequently until mixture begins to mound, this could take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes. (I ended up putting bowl in fridge after 30 minutes in ice bath and waited like 50 minutes before it started to set up)

Spoon 1/2 cup of filling into pie crust and arranged reserved whole berries, stem side down, on top of filling. Spoon remaining filling over and between berries. Chill pie until filling is set, at least 4 hours.

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16 comments to “Fresh Strawberry Pie”

  1. Tim: This looks fantastic! And I know what you mean about “assembly day.” No fewer than five people have told me to “have a good wknd!” and it’s only 9 AM on Friday. I like it. Enjoy the weekend.

  2. This will make me run out and buy some Strawberries in about 30 minutes! This looks so easy and refreshing!

  3. I love strawberry pie and I can’t wait till the berries are ripe in this part of the world so I can make some.

  4. Of course you’re going to get yums all around for this!

  5. OMG, that looks amazing!! It looks so fresh and delicious

  6. Oh my, this looks mouth watering good.
    If only it was strawberry season around here.

  7. OMG, so beautiful. I’m making this….what do you think about using balsamic instead of the lemon juice?

  8. Mmmm, this looks totally amazing! I LOVE strawberry pie…it looks so beautiful and delicious. :)

  9. Wow Tim, this looks delicious. Just when our season ends, yours begins. For cravings like these, I froze some berries this time around. :)

  10. Susan W. says:

    May 24th, 2009 at 7:53 am

    It looks awesome!! Strawberry season is in full bloom here in Indiana… my fridge and freezer are already stocked with homemade strawberry ice cream, strawberry buttermilk cake, and the fixings for strawberry rhubarb pie (I went a little nutso at the farmer’s market yesterday). Perhaps this pie will make it on the menu at Casa de Wagner this week…..??

  11. This pie looks beautiful, and perfect for a 4th of July cookout. Thanks in advance!

  12. Sorry for the late reply! I don’t know, but think it is a really good question. I have to be honest, I am not a huge fan of balsamic, so I am probably not the best person to advise. If you try it, let me know how it works…

  13. This is really a gorgeous pie! I love fresh strawberry pies made this way; they were one of my favorites growing up, and they were always served with whipped cream. They’re the epitome of summer, and yours is done beautifully.

  14. Looks delicious! Do you think I could substitute any other fruit instead of the strawberries?

  15. I am sure you could use other fruit, but I am guessing it would take some experimentation to get amount of gelatin/sugar correct. Would be a pretty delicious experiment….

  16. made this today. wonderful!

What do you think?