It’s one of my favourite times of year in my corner of the world … strawberry season! We bought a flat of strawberries from our local farm market so I’ll probably post a few strawberry recipes this week 🙂
On Friday we celebrated the kids’ first day of summer vacation with a nice dinner of steak, potato salad, grilled asparagus and my favourite strawberry pie for dessert. I can’t remember which magazine I got this recipe from, but I’ve been making it for 15+ years. This pie is not only easy, but so fresh tasting. The filling, a combination of fresh strawberries stirred into a quick strawberry jam and a hint of orange, is a real celebration of strawberry flavour. Both the filling and the graham cracker crust are quick and easy to make and they are complimented with a fresh whipped cream topping. The crust does contain almonds, but you can use all graham cracker crumbs if you want to go nut-free. I had written down to used 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream for the topping. I don’t think I’ve ever topped the pie with the whipping cream before, just served it on the side. When I topped it the other day, I thought it was too much, so I have reduced it to 1 cup in the recipe.
While the pie is quick to make, the filling does take some time to cool and set, so I would either make it the night before or the morning of the day you plan to eat it.
[recipe title=”Fresh Strawberry Pie” servings=”One 9-inch Pie” cooktime=”3-5 hours including chilling time.” difficulty=”easy” description=”This with a combination of fresh strawberries and a quick made strawberry jam for the filling, this pie is a celebration of strawberry flavours.”]
[recipe-ingredients]
– 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
– 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (use 1 1/2 cups if omitting nuts)
– 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
– 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
– 5 cups quartered and hulled strawberries
– 1/4 cup cornstarch
– 2 tbsp lemon juice
– 2 tsp grated orange zest
– 1 cup whipping cream
– 1 tbsp icing sugar
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
[/recipe-ingredients][recipe-directions]
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Butter a 9-inch pie plate
3. Coarsely chop almonds in a food processor.
4. Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and process to a fine crumb.
5. Add butter and pulse until all crumbs are moistened.
6. Press into prepared pie plate and bake for about 12 minutes until crust is set and golden. Let cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, mash 2 cups of strawberries until chunky.
8. Stir in cornstarch, lemon juice and sugar and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick.
9. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool completely.
10. When mixture is cool, stir in remaining strawberries and orange zest.
11. Mound into cooled crust and chill until mixture is set, 2-5 hours.
12. Just before serving, whip cream with sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. Spread over filling and serve.
[/recipe-directions][/recipe]
Coarsely chop almonds in food processor.
Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and process to a fine crumb.
Add butter and pulse until crumbs are moistened.
Press crumbs into prepared pie plate and bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes until crust is set.
In a medium saucepan mash 2 cups of strawberries with a potato masher until chunky.
Add cornstarch, lemon juice and sugar and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
When mixture is cool, stir in remaining strawberries and orange zest.
Mound into cooled crust and chill in the fridge until filling is set.
Just before serving, whip cream, icing sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks and spread on top of pie. Serve immediately.
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