Gotta Make It: The BEST Fresh Strawberry Pie Ever!
*Pulling this one from the archives today since Strawberry Season is upon us, again. If you've picked fresh strawberries, you simply MUST put some aside and make this recipe! It's one of the most popular recipes on this blog and for good reason: It's just an absolutely delicious pie!
Like crazy good. Or as my friend Emily would say, Cry-for-your-Momma good.
Make this one, friends. You'll love it!
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It's strawberry season down here in the South, and if they're not ready in your neck of the woods yet, in just a few weeks, strawberries will be ready for the picking all over the country.
So, today, I'm reposting my ALL-TIME favorite strawberry recipe.
Fresh Strawberry Pie.
This is my sister's recipe for Strawberry Pie, and it is THE BEST strawberry pie I have ever tasted. It's fresh and delicious and it will make you weep. It's that good.
The BEST thing about this recipe, besides the fact that it will knock the socks off of your taste buds, is that it's only five ingredients.
FIVE INGREDIENTS.
So, it's easy. Easy, easy, easy. But, it also means that the strawberries get to take center stage - where they belong. Forever and ever.
Since strawberries are a most stunning shade of red, and I love cooking and baking with my bff (aka SeƱor Nikon Short Stop), I brought him along while I made this beeeeeautiful pie last week.
But, I also wanted to photograph and share the process with you because even if you have never made a pie before in your life, you can make this one - and I want to show you how truly easy it is!
And, since I originally posted this recipe, I've also posted a tutorial on How to Make Perfect, Flaky Pie Crust. So, you can make this recipe completely from scratch - from start to finish.
SO, here we go! (full recipe below)
First, you need about two pounds of strawberries. Cut the green tops out of them (I think that's called hulling or somethin'), and place half of them on a cutting board/mat.
Thinly slice your beeeeautiful strawberries.
Then, turn them and chop them into small pieces. (I would normally use my food processor for this and would chop them to smithereens. But, since I know not everyone owns a food processor, I want to show you that you can most surely make this recipe without one.)
You then have a perfect pile of chopped strawberries.
Place the chopped strawberries into a saute pan. Or pot. Or whatever suits your fancy.
Add one cup of sugar combined with three tablespoons of corn starch. (If your strawberries are very ripe, you might need less sugar. But, one cup should do just fine.)
Cook strawberries and sugar/cornstarch on medium heat. The strawberries will begin to break down. Or break dance. Somethin' like that.
Meanwhile, take one of these beauties.
Cut it in half and add the juice of one half to the pan. Save the other half. You'll be wantin' to make this pie again tomorrow. Because there will be none left at the end of the day.
Using a whisk, crush strawberries as they soften and continue cooking on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
You want a glossy, thick sauce that will stick to your whisk a bit. If it all falls off, keep on a cookin'. This is what the finished sauce should do. Hang on to the whisk for a minute, then give up and join its friends.
Now, you may stop here and call 'er a day. Because this sauce is perfect on everything from waffles to pancakes to french toast or dribbled over vanilla ice cream. So, pack it up if you want. 'Cause you've just made killer strawberry topping.
But, I like pie crust as much as I like this sauce. I'm addicted to carbs. So, let's continue on.
Take the other half of the strawberries...
And, cut them in half. Only half. No chopping or cutting them smaller. Unless you have the mother of all strawberries in your container, then you may cut it three times. BUT, step away from the knife. You want large pieces. You'll see why in a minute.
I may have eaten a few of these. I may not have been able to help myself.
Add the halved (and ONLY halved) strawberries to the sauce.
Combine with a spoonula thingy.
Look! Just look at those strawberries swimmin' in that sauce. Drool.
A few of these never made it to the pie. Grabbed a spoon and had a little tasting party.
Once the sauce is finished, you take a pie crust and line a pie plate with it. (I make my own crust, but one from the frozen section of the grocery store works just dandy.) Flute the edges and prick it all over with a fork about 40 times.
Then line the pie crust with foil, gently pressing it around the inside of the pie shell, and fill it with dried beans. Bake it for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.
Remove pie crust from oven. The crust will be partially baked. No brown edges yet. Remove foil and beans, and bake for 5 more minutes.
You end up with a perfectly baked pie crust.
With perfectly golden brown edges.
Pour the strawberry pie filling into your perfectly baked crust. If there's any left, that is. Chill your pie for about 2 hours. If you can wait that long.
And, VOILA!
A beautiful, deeeeeelicous, fresh, easy strawberry pie. Isn't that color just amazing? Pure freshness, goodness, strawberry-ness. And, nothin' else in the pie tryin' to steal the show.
Trust me. This pie will make you cry for your Momma.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
a family recipe...
1 quart (about 2 pounds) fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup whipping cream, optional
Wash strawberries and hull (removing the green tops and core). Chop 1/2 of the berries with into small pieces or process in food processor.
Place chopped berries into a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to pan with crushed berries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Cut remaining strawberries into halves and mix with the cooked mixture.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust into 9" or 10" pie plate. Flute edges. Prick with fork all over, about 40 times. Place piece of foil inside pie crust, lightly pressing around inside bottom edges of crust. Fill with dried beans. (The beans allow the pie crust to remain its shape.)
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove beans and foil. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes until edges are golden brown.
Pour strawberry mixture into baked pie shell. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until pie is set. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.
Then slap your hubby, sister, friend, Momma, or mailman a high-five.
Cause you've just made a killer Fresh Strawberry Pie!
I can't believe I still haven't made this pie. It looks so good!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the day when you finally put out a cookbook! I will be first in line. ;-)
one of my favorite things to make during the summer... so so good!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks very yummy! Since I live in Strawberry Capitol, I will have to go and get some and make this soon!!!
ReplyDeleteMade this last summer, and have already been dreaming of it again. It's on our summer list for sure!
ReplyDeleteI thought about this very recipe yesterday as I brought in our bounty of berries... though I am not sure they saved enough as we've been gobbling berries down by the handful.
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy. Just wondering though why you bake the crust with beans? And, does it matter which type of beans and what do you do with them afterwards?
ReplyDeleteBeans hold the foil down firm. Any dried beans will do.
DeleteHi, Ellen.
ReplyDeleteYou use the beans so that they keep the crust from shrinking as the butter/shortening melts and cooks. And, you can use any type of dried beans at all. They aren't good for eating after you use them to hold the crust in place, but you can use them over and over when baking pie crusts. So, I keep them in a ziploc baggie labeled, "pie beans", and pull them out whenever I'm making a crust.
Hope this helps!
I own a small bakery in my home. I use the small glass stone/marbles that have a flat side you can find in the craft section of stores. I store them in the ole fashion square canning jars on my bake shoppe table. It makes a colorful deco on the bake shoppe table and always with a arms reach when needed. Just thought I would share.... And your pie sounds yummy!!!
Deletei HAVE to make this! so glad i happened upon your blog!
ReplyDeletesarah!
ReplyDeletemade this last year and just bought strawberries today.
so making this yummy pie!
This is a great Fresh Strawberry Pie it looks delicious. Thanks for sharing and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI made this and my GOD its everything you say and more :) I posted about it and hope thats ok, if theres anything you want changing i will of course! Im not joking when i say i ate pretty much the majority of it and it was gone in 3 days (that was with self-restraint!)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the recipe, its truly lovely
http://theprocrastobaker.blogspot.com/2011/08/fresh-strawberry-pie.html
I made this tonight, and added some cinnamon basil I got at the farmers market, and it added some great flavor.
ReplyDeletewondering if the sauce can be frozen?
ReplyDeleteI have never frozen it, so I'm not sure. I don't see why not, though.
DeletePlease help me - I have made this twice and it tastes amazing, but it never gets firm. It remains soupy no matter how long I chill it. PLEASE HELP - what ma i doing wrong?
ReplyDelete@Donna - you may need to add more cornstarch. Strawberries can be so different depending on how ripe they are, where they're from, etc. Just add more cornstarch to the mixture (maybe another 2 tablespoons) to be sure that the filling will stick to a whisk before adding it ot the crust. Hope this helps!
DeleteMmm! I made this earlier this week for the 4th and it went over well (even though I didn't get it to set). I'm trying again this weekend with peaches. It's still chilling, but the filling tastes awesome! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI slapped my mom it was soo good! She wasn't happy till she too tasted the pie...she slapped me back! Ummmm ummm good! Thanks for this awesome recipe ;)
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried useing King Arther pie filling enhancer in the filling instead of corn starch. They seem to think it cures all of runny pie problems. If so--How Much---Thanks Mr. Roy
ReplyDeleteI never make strawberry pie without this recipe :) Thanks, homie!
ReplyDeleteSince the strawberries are so good right now, I thought I'd make a few pies. Can I freeze them?
ReplyDeletemade this for a Pi Day Party! It was the secret hit! once word got around it was gone and there were many pies to choose from!
ReplyDelete3 words for you. To die for. Huge hit! One lady stopped to tell me it was hands down the best strawberry pie she has ever eaten. Thank you!
ReplyDelete3 words for you. To die for. Huge hit! One lady stopped to tell me it was hands down the best strawberry pie she has ever eaten. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLove. This. Pie.
ReplyDeleteAn easy way to get those strawberries chopped up is to place whole berries in a ziploc bag. Let all the air out. Then smash away with your kitchen mallet. Turn and flip bag and smash that stress away!
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear your thoughts on turning this into a double crusted pie. I wonder if cooking the top crust would cause the filling to overcook? I'm going to live dangerously and try this!
ReplyDeleteMy pie is cooling right now. The sauce alone is hard to resist! I can't wait to taste the cooled pie with whipped cream. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI just want to tell you that I've been using this recipe for almost two years now, and everyone goes nuts about how wonderful it is. Thanks so much for sharing, and thanks for conditioning my tastebuds to NEVER EVER eat another strawberry pie except this one ever again!
ReplyDeleteHi there!! Making our annual strawberry pie and wanted to say thanks again for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI am making this pie right now ! The fresh strawberry filing is DELICIOUS Thank you !
ReplyDeleteHowdy Dear Soul! This will be my SECOND TIME I've made the AWESOME MIND-BLOWING Strawberry pie! I have a question as I cannot remember for the life of me what I did the first time I made it....do I pour the fresh cut halved strawberries into the sauce or do I wait for the sauce to cool before pouring onto the fresh halved strawberries??? Thank you ever so kindly. You should hear the RAVES I get from folks about this around this time of year!!! I'm making THREE today! LOL!!
ReplyDeleteI made this pie last night !! It is with out a doubt the Best strawberry pie I have ever tasted !! Thanks so much !!
ReplyDelete