Curt Turns 8! (A Good Reason To Make Strawberry Pie)

STRAWBERRY PIE

In our family, it has been the tradition to make whatever dessert the birthday honoree desires.

For three years in a row, my son Curt has chosen my strawberry pie.  Now, to my mind, birthdays mean cake, so for each of those three years, I have tried to convince him to choose some type of cake instead.  After granting his baking wish, I realized, this year and both years previous, he made a great choice!

This strawberry pie is easy to make, and easier to eat!

The pie crust recipe below is my go-to recipe for any baked goods requiring a pie crust.

The original strawberry pie recipe, which I tweaked a bit to suit my needs, comes from my friend Steve Chojnacki's mother in Minnesota.  Thanks, Mrs. Chojnacki!


Pie Crust (makes two crusts)

2 1/4 cups Featherlight Flour Blend
1 rounded tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 beaten egg
4-6 Tbsp ice water

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a bowl, blend the flour, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar.  Cut in the shortening until coarse crumbs form.  In a separate small bowl, beat the vinegar and egg together with a fork, then add the ice water.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a fork until a soft dough forms, adding more ice water by the teaspoons as needed to get the consistency you desire.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Lay plastic wrap on a flat surface and dust it with flour blend.  Divide the dough in half and dust both sides of the dough with a slight amount of flour blend.  Roll out the dough and place the dough on a 9-inch pie plate, crimping edges at the top.

Prick the dough on the sides and bottom with a fork in a few places.  Bake at 450° oven for 10-14 minutes or until slightly browned.  Let cool before filling.


Filling (makes one pie's worth)
2 Tbsp corn starch
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 3oz strawberry gelatin mix (I use Jell-O Wild Strawberry... works great, but hard to find)
4 cups sliced strawberries

Mix corn starch and sugar and strawberry gelatin mix together in a saucepan.  Whisk well.  Add water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Take the pan off the stove and cool until almost set, about an hour.

Add sliced strawberries to the gelatin mixture and stir thoroughly.  Pour into the cooled baked pie crust.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  (The gelatin mixture may seem runny, but it will set in the refrigerator.)

Serve alone or with whipped cream.  Or birthday candles!