Fresh Strawberry Pie

Strawberries are by far one of my favorite fruits so it's a shame that they're only in season for such a small part of the year.  Eating them at any other time other than their peak just means large berries that appear red and ripe but with a disappointing sub-par flavor because they were shipped green from far far away.

Recall that last year, I had a mission to make a pie crust from scratch as part of my 23 Things in 2011 List.  This is the recipe that I made to complete that task and I remember that I took forever searching for what I thought would be the perfect pie crust.  The theory is that the vodka in the recipe will bake off during cooking resulting in an extra flaky crust.  And, it delivered!

This is me posting this pie recipe nearly a year later so that you can make it with fresh, in-season strawberries, too.  See, there ARE advantages to me being a posting slacker ;).

One Year Ago: Lemon-Rosemary Turkey Meatballs
Two Years Ago: Summer Corn and Vegetable Soup

Three Years Ago: Avocado, Tomato, and Mango Salsa

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar (I like to use vanilla sugar)
• 1 c. (2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 TBSP chilled vodka
• 1/4 to 1/2 c. ice water, less 1 TBSP

For the Pie

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

To prepare the pie crust:

1. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  Process for a few seconds to combine.
2. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture and process until the mixture resembles coarse sand, about ten seconds.
3. Add the vodka then the water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube with the machine running, just until the dough holds together.  Do not process for more than 30 seconds.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.  Divide into two equal pieces and place on two separate sheets of plastic wrap.  Flatten into disks, then wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before using.  Make two 8 to 10-inch single-crust pies pies or one 8 to 10-inch double crust pie.  (Extra crust can be frozen for later use.)

To bake and assemble the pie:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove a disk of pie crust from the refrigerator and allow to warm slightly.  Roll out on a floured work surface and then transfer the pie crust to a pie plate.  Poke several holes in the bottom with a fork then bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Set aside to cool.
3. Arrange 3/4 of strawberries in baked, cooled pie crust. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
4. 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. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving. 
5. In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

Source: Pie crust from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook as adapted by and seen on Apple a Day; Strawberry Pie adapted from All Recipes