Strawberry Pie

OFFICIAL:

GARDEN  STRAWBERRY PIE
2022

(the help...)

JEREMY  THE  CAT

"Keeper of the Strawberries,

Defender of the Garden"

In keeping to a running theme of this blog... 

a recipe from the garden.  

Okay, not this time.  BUT  SOMEDAY!  

The first collection of strawberries will be for the making of this pie. The recipe, once a bitter tiff between sisters, is now being freed from my clutches.  Originally my mother-in-law's and modified over all the years it has been made.

As noted in an email conversation concerning the sharing of this family favorite:  I am to be sent 1/2 of any prize money and the physical 1/2 of any trophy won using this recipe.

Before you start, strap your apron on.  There are 4 separate recipes for the layers of your pie.  

Let's start with the crust...

PIE  CRUST:

(You will need:)

Pie Plate

Pastry Blender

Rolling Pin

Parchment Paper

Paring Knife

Pie Weights (1 pound) or a bag of beans (1 pound)

2  cups all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon salt

1  CUP shortening

1/4  cup ICE-cold drinking water

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour and salt together in a medium or large mixing bowl.  

Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until crumbly; then KEEP cutting in the shortening until starting to blend; then KEEP cutting in the shortening until the mixture is no longer crumbly but nearly one solid mass...  Be patient and persevere!  Otherwise your crust will be nasty and you can only blame yourself.  

Cut in ice water with pastry blender quickly until mostly mixed in.  

20 cuts with the pastry blender is your absolute MAXIMUM.  

If you still have sitting water, leave it.  TOO BAD.  IT WILL BE FINE.

(The more you work the dough, the tougher it will be…. It won’t be flakey like it should be!!)  

The following photos have the remaining pie crust instructions in their captions:

NOT  EVEN  HALF  WAY  DONE...

This is where most people would stop,
but not YOU!!!
Please move on to the next photo for reference.

NOW.  This is ready for your 1/4 cup ICE water.

Use a little more than 1/2 of the dough
for your pie crust.

Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper,
slightly floured. 

Carefully peel a sheet of parchment paper
off your pie crust and discard.

Watch for tears.  If repairs are needed, 

pinch or press gently back together.

Using the remaining sheet of parchment paper, 

center the dough over your pie plate and 

then CAREFULLY peel off the second sheet.  

If you have excess on one side and a
thin side (or major tear), trim the excess
and add by pinching or pressing together.

Flute using your index fingers and thumbs
together with a slight twist around the
entire pie crust edge.

Using your second parchment paper from
rolling out your pie crust...

Flip it over so the side with pie crust dough is facing
the pie crust, and you have the clean side facing up.

Add 1 pound of reusable ceramic pie weights OR
use 1 pound of old beans and throw out when done. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Then carefully remove pie weights or beans to
a secure location to cool down before
storing (ceramic pie weights)
or throwing out (old beans).

Pie crust needs a few more minutes to set.
BAKE an additional 3-4 minutes
OR until a lovely golden brown
color of  your choice.

CREAM  CHEESE  RECIPE:

8 ounces softened cream cheese

1 TABLESPOON  whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Beat the softened cream cheese on low
and then up to medium speed.

Add:  1  TABLESPOON  whipping cream.
Beat together on low and
then up to medium or high speed.

LAST:   Add 1/2 cup powder sugar
Beat together on low and
then up to medium or high speed.

FRESH  STRAWBERRIES:

1 pound RIPE strawberries - washed, rinsed, topless and sliced

Cream cheese layer - check.
Fresh strawberry layers - check.

Store in the fridge until ready to assemble your pie.

COOKED  STRAWBERRIES  RECIPE:

1 pound RIPE strawberries - washed, rinsed, topless and sliced

1 cup sugar

1 TABLESPOON  butter

1 TABLESPOON  lemon juice

3 TABLESPOONS  corn starch

ADD to a medium or large pot:
strawberry slices
butter
sugar
STIR.

Then ADD:corn starch
STIR

Bring to a simmer and turn heat down to LOW.

STIR while strawberries simmer
on LOW for 4-6 minutes.
Mixture will start to thicken...
KEEP STIRRING!

TURN  OFF  HEAT  when strawberries
look like a thick jam.

COOL before cooling completely in the fridge.

WHIPPING  CREAM  RECIPE:

2 CUPS  Whipping Cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on low until combined.

When combined, turn mixer to HIGH and mix for 3-5 minutes until mixture holds an indentation from the whisk attachment.

ASSEMBLY:

Make sure your crust is thoroughly cooled.
THIS  IS  A  COLD  PIE...

Cream Cheese LAYER is first.

Spread across the bottom of your pie crust
and slightly up the sides with the back of
a large dinner spoon.

For your SECOND LAYER:
Add 1/2 of the fresh strawberry slices to the top
of the cream cheese layer and spread out.

(...I used to take the time to make it pretty and
then realized no one ever saw this layer but me!)

Your THIRD LAYER:
 Is the cooked (AND COOL IF NOT COLD!)
strawberry mixture.

Again, use the back of a large dinner spoon
to spread out the cooked (AND COOL IF NOT COLD!)
strawberry layer.

Your FORTH LAYER:
Is the other 1/2 portion of fresh, sliced strawberries.

Spread strawberry slices out evenly over the
cool/cold layer of cooked strawberries.

Final  FIFTH  LAYER:
ADD  ALL  OF  THE  WHIPPED-WHIPPING  CREAM.

Spread out evenly over the now complete pie
with the back of a large dinner spoon.

Keep in the fridge if not in the process of consuming...

NOTE:  Keep the whipping cream separate if not serving
all at once, or if you expect the pie to actually survive once it has left the
fridge and there are going to be leftovers longer than 12 HOURS.

Gift given around 2007...
Recipe shared for the first time around 2011.
Yup. It got mentioned in my list of things about ME.