Strawberry Pie

I decided that since it is strawberry season here in NC that I would stop by a local pick your own farm.  I’ve always wanted to pick my own berries and I think I will be going back to try my hand at making some jam.  Today however I decided to make strawberry pie.  It was quite tasty and my husband and I just ate a second helping so I would recommend it.  I used a basic pate brisee dough recipe for the crust and a combination of filling recipes from the internet.  The combination is delicious!  Buttery, flaky crust with sweet, syrupy berries YUM!  I will say that the filling turned out a bit runnier than I would like.  Next time I may use cornstarch instead of flour and see if it helps it congeal a bit better.  Either way it still tastes good.

For the Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In a food processor or mixer, combine flour, salt and sugar.  Slowly add butter until the dough is the size of peas.  Drizzle in 1/4 C. of ice water and mix briefly.  Dough should be just wet enough to come together, not sticky to the touch or too dry.  Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time until the right consistency is reached.  Separate dough into 2 equal portions.  Flatten into disks and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill for 1 hour or overnight.

For the Filling:

4-5 Cups Strawberries- stems removed, leave whole unless they are very large

1 1/4 Cups Sugar

1/3 Cup Flour

1 Dash of Cinnamon

Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together and pour over berries.  Mix to combine.

Once chilled roll out both disks of dough until they are large enough for a 9 inch pie plate.  Place  the first layer of dough in the pie plate, add filling and top with a tablespoon of butter distributed evenly over the fruit and top with second sheet of dough.  Crimp the edges, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with a dusting of sugar.  Cut a few slits in the top of the pie to vent.  Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 deg. for 20 minutes.  Turn down to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-45 minutes.   Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.