Strawberry Pie

This was the strawberry pie I baked over the weekend, the ultimate summer-is-coming pie! Made with ripe strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and a thin layer of melted chocolate brushed on the pre-baked crust. Simple and delicious, don’t forget to top it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

• 1 – 9″ pie crust, blind baked
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 6 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Roll out pie crust, ease into a 9″ pie plate. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork. Line the interior of the crust with foil, fill with pie weights, or rice, or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and weights, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Slice berries, measure 2 1/2 cups into a bowl, and mash. Pour into a saucepan with the sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice and stir.
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until very thick. Stir in the vanilla and set aside to cool completely.
4. Melt chocolate chips, and brush a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Let set up.
5. Stir in the fresh sliced strawberries to the cooked filling, and pour into the pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
6. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.