Fresh Strawberry Pie

Fresh strawberry pie is hard to beat! Unlike most fruit pies where the fruit cooks and changes character during baking, this chilled pie celebrates strawberries in fresh form. All the goodness of these red gems is held in a flaky crust that bakes quickly and perfectly complements the strawberries’ starring role. It’s a pie best eaten within a day or two – but accomplishing that is usually not a problem!

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Makes a 9-inch pie

Pie Crust Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup shortening
6-8 tablespoons cold water

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

Prepare the Pie Crust

Filling Ingredients
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
1/2 package or 3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin
2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced,about 5 cups, hulled and sliced

1. In a food processor, add the flour, salt, and sugar. pulse a few times to combine.

2. Add the shortening, and pulse to cut the shortening into the flour mixture. The mixture should be coarse with some pea-sized pieces of shortening remaining.

3. Slowly add water a tablespoon at a time to the dough while pulsing in short bursts until a dough ball is just formed. Test the readiness by pinching together -- if it holds together, enough water has been added. If it crumbles apart, add another tablespoon of water. Be sure to not over mix; this will ensure that a flakier crust is achieved. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough ball into a rough 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick.

5. Using a rolling pin to help lift the dough, place the crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim off excess crust around the edge, and pinch the edge into your favorite edge finish style.

6. Dock the pie crust with a fork to make steam holes for the crust. Line the crust with pie weights and bake in a 450 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.

Prepare the Strawberry Filling:
7. Dissolve the cornstarch in three tablespoons of the cold water. Set aside.

8. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and remaining water. Heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear. Gradually pour the cornstarch mixture into the sugar mixture. Increase the heat and with continuous stirring, allow the mixture to reach the simmering stage and begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring until nicely thickened.

9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the gelatin.

Assemble and Serve the Pie;
10. Add the sliced strawberries to the baked and cooled pie crust. Pour the strawberry filling over the strawberries.

11. Cover and refrigerate the pie until the filling has set, about 2-4 hours. 12. Serve with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream and enjoy immediately.