Strawberry Pie

The first day of Spring came and went last weekend, but it seems kind of surreal here in my beloved Colorado. We get some of our heaviest snow in March and April and they are forecasting up to 10 inches of it tomorrow! It definitely feels like Winter on lots of fronts. However, last night Springtime officially arrived in my heart. Do you want to know what ushered it in??



This little piece of strawberry heaven was waiting in the refrigerator last night when I went up to my parents' house for a little car maintenance and dinner. Can you tell that my mom loves me?! There are tons of strawberry stands along the roads in southern CA and I grew up on lots of strawberry pie. My mom makes a fabulous one and it is probably still my pie of choice. I have been completely appalled at the number of Coloradans who have never had a real strawberry pie (in my opinion, Village Inn pies do NOT count!).

I suppose more people would try them out if they knew that Springtime warm-fuzzies secretly hide out in homemade strawberry pies. Now that you know that secret, here is my mom's recipe. It is surprisingly simple and if you have good, sweet berries to make the glaze, it will send you straight into Springtime strawberry bliss!

Strawberry Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
2 T. milk

- Mix flour, sugar & salt in a pie pan.
- Mix the oil and milk and then add to the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon until just combined.
- Press along the bottom and sides of a pie pan and do whatever you want to do to the edges to make them pretty.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely.
- (This is my mom's standard pie crust and she uses it for all her pies. It is different than a regular butter crust and tastes a little like a delicate shortbread. If making pie crusts that you have to roll out is intimidating, give this one a try! I haven't had a pie yet that it didn't work beautifully with!)
- Also, I have not come up yet with a good gluten-free pie crust, but I am working on it. I'll post it when I am satisfied with the end product!

Pie Filling:
6 baskets strawberries
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch

- Crush one cup of fresh strawberries. The liquid and pulp together should equal one cup. It works well if you watch for any soft or slightly bruised berries while you are washing and use those.
- Boil the crushed berries with one cup of water for about 2-3 minutes. Strain out the pulp and return the liquid to the pan over low heat. This part will make your kitchen smell completely WONDERFUL!!
- Mix the sugar and cornstarch and slowly whisk it into the strawberry juice. Stir constantly for several minutes until the liquid thickens and darkens. (Think maple syrup consistency).
- Turn off the heat and transfer the glaze to a pouring dish.
- Place a layer of fresh strawberries in the bottom of the pie pan and drizzle the glaze over the top, making sure that each berry gets covered. Add another layer of berries and repeat. If you have glaze left over, just keep drizzling. You can't over-do it!
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours! This pie is messy when served and the longer you refrigerate, the better it will hold together.
- Top with lots of Cool Whip or Whipped Cream and enjoy!!