Every week we go to dinner on Friday night at a local restaurant that has old school homemade desserts. Since spring began I had been seriously jonesing for a baked fruit pie so every week I would ask what the pie specials were and every week I was told peanut butter and coconut cream, not what I was looking for. I decided if I wanted a fruit pie I would have to make it. So I started scouring the internet for a good strawberry pie recipe and all I found where alot of shortcut recipes for a cold cream pie and that is not what I was craving. I was looking for a crunchy crusted sweet and tart strawberry pie. I was originally going to make a strawberry rhubarb pie but alas no rhubarb in my grocery store so I decided to spice up my pie in a different way. I hope you enjoy this pie. If you are looking for a shortcut you can use store bought pie crust and it will still be yummy.
First you need to make the crust. When you are making pie crust the most important thing is really cold ingredients. So cut up the butter in small cubes and freeze it for at least an hour. It will make a huge difference in the flakiness of the crust.
Ingredients for crust
2 1/2 cups sifted ap flour, plus extra for rolling
2 sticks of ice cold butter cut in small cubes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp ice water
Place all the flour in the bowl of your food processor. (if you don't have a food processor you can cut the butter into the flour with your finger tips or a pastry cutter, however if you have warm hands like me don't try and use your fingers your crust won't be as flaky as it should)
Add the salt and sugar and all of the cold butter an pulse to combine. Make sure you pulse it until you see little chunks of butter floating all throughout the flour some big some small slowly stream in the ice water while the food processor is still pulsing add until just coming together.
Dump half onto a piece of plastic wrap and combine into a disc cover it with the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 45 minutes to cool. Do the same with the second half.
Now for the filling!
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ap flour
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 cups fresh strawberries hulled and halved
3/4 cup slivered almonds
2 TBS butter
Preheat oven to 425' F
Roll out one pie crust to fit a 9in pie pan with about one inch hanging over. Place into the pie pan without
buttering, its not needed there is enough butter in the crust it won't stick
In a large bowl combine white and brown sugars with flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and both extracts. whisk to combine . Add strawberries and almonds to mixture and gently stir until all the strawberries are covered in the sugary dust. Pour into the prepared crust mounding it slightly in the middle.
Roll the second crust to the same thickness as the first and cut into 1/2in strips. Weave strips into a lattice formation leaving the ends hanging over. Fold the end of the bottom pie crust over the lattice ends to seal them in then using your fingers create a fluted edge.
Then baste pie with a little milk and lightly dust with sugar. (I used vanilla sugar for a little extra surprise)
Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the crust looks golden brown and amazing.
Cool before eating and serve with some lightly sweetened whipped cream and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Enjoy!
Krystle
