Summer {Fresh!} Strawberry Pie
Oh my goodness, do I love this pie!
I can't believe it's already been ten years, but ten years ago, we left Shreveport, Louisiana, home of dear friends, family-friendly Mardi Gras parades, abundant crawfish, and the very best strawberry pie you'll ever eat.
Strawn's Eat Shop (and Strawn's Eat Shop Too and Strawns Eat Shop Also) are locally-owned diners that have been around since 1944. The menu features pretty typical diner fare...and then there are the PIES. Let's just say you don't get featured in Southern Living for nothing.
A few years after we left Shreveport, I was mourning Strawn's strawberry pie...you know, the way you do when you're eight hours from pie, and those fresh strawberries or peaches don't keep, so there's no way for them to have a mail-order business, and you just have to feel sad once in a while that the best pie in the world can be nothing more than a saliva-inducing memory for you...
And then I remembered the Internet. When I searched "Strawn's strawberry pie recipe," I found it! Thank you, recipezaar.com...which no longer exists... So glad I printed this one out!
No one should have to live without this pie recipe, and so now I share it with you. The almond extract is my personal addition--it's my favorite extra something special for many of my baked goods. And the crust recipe at the bottom is my husband's grandmother's favorite. She is a pie baker extraordinaire and was kind enough to take me by the hand and teach me in the ways of pie-baking.
Summer {Fresh!} Strawberry Pie
9-inch baked pie shell*
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1 c. water
3 T. lemon juice
a few drops of red food coloring (optional)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 c. fresh strawberries, sliced
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
3 T. powdered sugar (more or less to taste)
1. Stir together corn starch, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add 3 T. of water, and mix to a paste. Boil remaining water and slowly add to the sugar mixture. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and clear. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice, food coloring, and almond extract.
2. Let mixture cool for at least 15 minutes--longer if you can stand it--and then add fresh strawberries.
3. Pour into prepared pie shell. Chill until set.
4. Whip cream, slowly adding powdered sugar, and spread on top of pie.
Best if enjoyed within about 24 hours.
*You can use one from the freezer section if desperate, or use this recipe from The Barefoot Contessa: http://www.food.com/recipe/barefoot-contessas-perfect-pie-crust-202546
For a baked shell, as with this recipe, roll out half the dough, gently fold in half and then half again (yes, one could say quarters), then place in an ungreased pie pan and unfold. Prick liberally with a fork (to prevent bubbles in the oven), and bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until barely golden.
You can roll the unused half of the dough into a ball, tightly wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until the next time you need pie.
Happy pie-eating!
