Summertime Strawberry Pie
Memorial Day, the last day of school, the solstice — these all have made their claims. But the true first day of summer is, without qualification, whichever day welcomes the year’s first strawberry pie. What other moment could so capture and commence the unabashed bliss that is summer? Surely the arrival of strawberries on the ground tugs at the corners of the calendar, but it is their arrival on a flakey crust that turns the page.
This easy but excellent recipe will do the job well. It is sweet but not overwhelmingly so, light, refreshing, and delicious — the unadulterated taste of summer. The cream cheese layer adds a delightful balance and helps keep the crust from becoming soggy.
Commence as soon as strawberries are ready to be picked, and as soon as you are ready to be done with spring. Repeat as often as you wish; it will only further establish summer’s foothold. To every pie there is a season: strawberry’s is summer, and summer’s is strawberry.
Summertime Strawberry Pie
Equipment:
Mixing bowl or food processor
9 inch pie dish
Saucepan
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
3 – 4 tablespoons ice-cold water
Filling:
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons cream or whole milk
1 quart of fresh strawberries, with leaves and stems removed
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pint of whipping cream
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl or bowl fitted for a food processor.
Cut butter into flour mixture using pastry cutter (or if using a food processor, pulse). The end result should resemble a coarse meal – butter the size of peas.
Slowly sprinkle water over the mixture, cutting or pulsing (again, if using the food processor) until it starts to form a ball. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least half an hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator 5 – 10 minutes prior to rolling. Roll into a 12” round. Fold into quarters. Place in 9” pie dish and unfold, pressing down lightly. Fold top edge under and crimp by placing one knuckle on the edge of the pie dish while pinching dough with thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand. Repeat until the edge is all crimped. This creates a lovely, elevated zig-zag border.
Cover with parchment paper and fill with dry beans or pie weights.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove parchment and pie weights and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown — keep a close eye on it!
Let cool completely.
Filling:
Mix cream cheese and two teaspoons of the cream, then spread evenly on the bottom of the cooled crust.
Separate out half of the berries (choose the most attractive ones). Slice off the ends to make them flat, retaining all trimmings. Then, stand the berries upright (with the flat side down) on cream cheese.
Cut remaining berries into quarters, mix with water, sugar and trimmings from the previous step. Cook in a saucepan over medium heat for about ten minutes. The strawberries and syrup should measure approximately 2 cups. Turn heat to medium-low.
Sift cornstarch and sugar together. Add sifted mixture to saucepan.
Stir contents of the pan until it resembles a thick, jam like consistency.
Remove from heat, let stand for several minutes, and then pour into pie shell over fresh strawberries.
Let cool for half an hour.
Place toothpicks in berries, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Whip the remaining cream.
Remove toothpicks, and cover the berry mixture generously with whipped cream an hour or two before serving. Place back in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Commence summer.
