Strawberry Pie

The summer season is upon us. Saturday was the first day of summer and we were enjoying it in the Adirondack mountains, paddling a canoe on a glistening lake while birds sang and grills grilled.

We enjoyed peaceful mornings cooking over an open flame while the fog took it’s sweet time to lift and the squirrels chided us for being there in the forest.

Now, we’re back home and back into the swing of things. The sun shines brightly while the clouds float by and at the nearby berry farms, there are strawberries that need to be picked. Isn’t June just a charming month?

Have you ever gone strawberry picking? It is a work out. A squat work out that is definitely worth it.

So what of the multitude of possibilities should we make with these beautiful bright red berries? That is the question. Let’s let pie be the answer. Pie could be the answer to a lot of questions.

We’re making a lattice top strawberry pie. It’s going to be juicy and tart and bubbly and hopefully delicious. (shhh…I’ve never made a strawberry pie let alone eaten one).

We must start with the berries of course. They should be washed thoroughly with the tops cut off. Let’s slice them in half.

This pie needs a crust. Let’s go with my basic pie crust here.  We’ll need a lemon, of course.

The zest and juice of one lemon should suffice. Let’s add it to some sugar and a bit of corn starch to thicken the filling.

Once the berries are added, let’s mix until every last berry is coated.

We will let the berries sit while we roll out our pie dough. I love pie dough.

For the top half of our dough we’ll cut it into ten strips about 3/4 of an inch thick and drape them into a lovely lattice.

A bit of cream patted over top with a sprinkling of sugar should produce a pleasingly crunchy texture with a nice golden hue.

That’s the ticket. Golden and juicy and gorgeously red.

Strawberry Pie

recipe adapted from savour

• 2 crust pie dough
• 6 cups strawberries, halved
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• juice and zest of one medium sized lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425F. Combine strawberries with the 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract. Mix until strawberries are fully coated. Roll out one half of dough and place into a 9 inch pie plate. Pour strawberry filling in. Roll out second half of dough and cut into ten 3/4 inch strips. Place strips over pie in a lattice pattern. Brush  heavy cream over top and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Cover edges with foil if it begins to brown too much. Let cool and slice. Enjoy :)

After careful consideration, we’ve come to the conclusion that in our opinions this pie comes in last. We prefer an apple pie, a blueberry pie or a cherry pie. But if you love strawberries, you’ll enjoy this beauty. Now go make a pie!