Strawberry Pie

Another chilly weekend – Mother Nature must have missed the memo. I put my winter coat in storage, stubbornly reasoning that it’s spring – big mistake! However, there were some beautiful looking strawberries in the market, and strawberries = spring. And since I missed the memo about Pi Day – better late than never! 

The crust:

• 1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 stick of very cold butter, cut up into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup ice water

The filling:

• 2 pounds strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

1. Put flour, butter, and salt in a food processor with a metal blade pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water until the dough begins to clump together. Form into a ball, place in plastic bag, and work dough into a flat disc. Refrigerate for an hour.

2. In a large bowl, toss sliced strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.

3. Roll out two thirds of the dough to fit an 9″ pie dish, ease pastry onto plate. Scoop the fruit into the pastry, dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry and cut out long 1/2″ strips. Weave the lattice crust, tuck under the crust and crimp.

4. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425º oven for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 375º and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes until crust is golden.