Easy Strawberry Pie
Strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream, strawberry cheesecake and so on. Strawberries are the go-to dessert berry in my opinion. When the spring and summer time hits, there is nothing better than incorporating berries in some light desserts. When I say light, I mean LIGHT. This pie is as flaky and light as they get. I know I sound like a broken record, but I mean it this time, this recipe is super easy. What you'll get in the end is a sweet, slightly tart and flaky bite that will really hit the spot during the dog days of summer.
What you'll need before even starting this recipe is a pre-baked pie crust. I used some pastry dough I had on hand, rolled it out and baked it off. After placing the dough in the pie tin and crimping it poorly, I then docked it. (This was about 6 oz of dough, thus it was shorter in some areas than others. That means it was nearly impossible to really crimp it. I really do recommend 8 ounces of dough if at all possible.) After that, I baked it upside down with another pie tin holding it up on a baking sheet for about eight minutes at 325°F. Then I baked it right-side up for about 20 minutes more. Use your favorite pastry dough/pie dough recipe or you can always buy the ready to go pie dough in the blue can and bake it off.
Once you have your baked and cooled pie crust, we can move on. You'll need about a quart of strawberries. Cut all the berries in slices and set aside. Add half the berries in the baked pie shell.
Now, you'll need cornstarch, sugar, water and the mashed strawberries.
Mash remaining berries in a saucepan and combine with sugar. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
After a minute or two, it'll look like this. Mash those strawberries like they owe you money.
After a couple of more minutes, the mixture will start to gelatinize and become thicker.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.
Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Allow the mixture to cool for about ten minutes. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving.
After a couple of hours, this is what it looks like.
If you're like me, what's next should come naturally to you. It's whipped cream time. Top this bad boy with some homemade whipped cream and enjoy a piece....or two....or eat it all yourself and walk away before anyone sees you. Oops, I think that's just me. Anyways, enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
Roll out your pie dough, dock, crimp and bake at 325°F for about 15-20 minutes. Cut the strawberries in slices. Arrange half of the strawberries in the baked pastry shell. Mash the remaining berries and combine with the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Gradually stir in the cornstarch slurry into the boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture until thickened, about ten minutes, stirring constantly. All this mixture to cool slightly for about ten minutes off the heat. Pour the mixture into the pastry shell over the sliced strawberries. Chill for a least four hours or overnight if possible. Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
