Completely homemade strawberry pie - my favorite crust, a delicious glaze, and sweet whipped cream.
Ingredients:
For the Baked Pie Shell
- 1¼cupsall-purpose flour, divided
- 1tablespoongranulated sugar
- ½teaspoonsalt
- 6tablespoonscold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch slices
- ¼cupchilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
- 2tablespoonsvodka(cold)
- 2tablespoonsice water
For the Filling
- 4pintsabout 3 pounds fresh strawberries, gently rinsed and dried, hulled
- ¾cupgranulated sugar
- 2tablespoonscornstarch
- 1½teaspoonsSure-Jell for low-sugar recipes(the pink box)
- Pinchof salt
- 1tablespoonlemon juice
For the Whipped Cream
- 1cupheavy cream
- ½cupgranulated sugar
- ½teaspoonvanilla extract
Directions:
- Make the Baked Pie Shell: Process ¾ cups of the flour, the sugar and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add the butter and shortening and process until a homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 7 to 10 seconds (the dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and redistribute the dough evenly around the bowl. Add the remaining ½ cup flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty the mixture into a medium bowl.
- Sprinkle the vodka and water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten the dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes, or up to 2 days.
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to a 12-inch circle. Roll the dough loosely around a rolling pin and unroll into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around the circumference, ease the dough into the plate by gently lifting edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with other hand. Leave the overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
- Trim the overhanging dough to ½ inch beyond the lip of the pie plate. Fold the overhang under itself; the folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute the dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against the rim of pie plate. Refrigerate the dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes. Proceed with pie recipe as directed.
- Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
- Make the Filling: Select 6 ounces of misshapen, underripe, or otherwise unattractive berries, halving those that are large; you should have about 1½ cups. In food processor, process berries to smooth puree, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. You should have about ¾ cup puree.
- Whisk sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Stir in berry puree, making sure to scrape corners of pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with heatproof rubber spatula, and bring to full boil. Boil, scraping bottom and sides of pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that cornstarch is fully cooked (mixture will appear frothy when it first reaches boil, then will darken and thicken with further cooking). Transfer to large bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, pick over remaining berries and measure out 2 pounds of most attractive ones; halve only extra-large berries. Add berries to bowl with glaze and fold gently with rubber spatula until berries are evenly coated. Scoop berries into pie shell, piling into mound. If any cut sides face up on top, turn them face down. If necessary, rearrange berries so that holes are filled and mound looks attractive. Refrigerate pie until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve within 5 hours of chilling.
- Make the Whipped Cream: Using an electric mixer, whisk together the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla on low speed until stiff peaks form. Increase to medium speed and whip until thick. Pipe onto pie or serve dolloped on top.
Recipe Notes:
Note #1: Vodka is essential in this particular pie crust recipe and cannot be substituted with more water. If you do not have vodka, use another 80-proof liquor. Nutritional values are based on one serving
Nutrition:
Calories: 527kcal
Fat: 26g
Saturated fat: 13g
Cholesterol: 63mg
Sodium: 165mg
Potassium: 405mg
Carbohydrates: 69g
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 44g
Protein: 4g
Vitamin A: 14.6%
Vitamin C: 169.7%
Calcium: 6.3%
Iron: 10.4%
I made this on Sunday and it was just as cute as could be, but when I went to serve it the crust and all the berries just fell to pieces. The glaze didn’t hold them together at all! Any idea why this happened? I refrigerated it for 2.5 hours after it was finished.
With that said, it still got eaten all up – we just turned the crust into a sprinkle!
Hi Kristina, Oh no! The only thing I can think of is that the crust may have been overbaked and the filling undercooked. The gel in the filling would not hold or set if the cornstarch wasn’t properly activated by cooking. I hope that helps, and I’m glad you still enjoyed it!
Thanks, Michelle, that makes sense. I’ll have to give it another try!
I see a lot of recipes with strawberry Jell-O. What’s the difference between using that and what you suggest using? And what’s the difference between a low sugar one and the normal one. I mean obviously that sugar is different but would more sugar be better?
Made this pie last night- my coworker specially requested a fresh strawberry pie for her birthday today! I’m not great at pie crusts, but I found these instructions easy to follow and it didn’t turn out half bad- I was a bit worried since I was in a hurry and used room-temp Crisco. Still good!I wanted to make it ahead, but didn’t want to get the runny glaze others mentioned. After mixing the berries and glaze together, I left them sitting out (like you would if making jam/jelly with the sure jell) overnight and left the empty (baked) pie shell out as well. Unfortunately, the glaze was still runny when I woke up in the morning. However, I poured the glaze off the berries and back into the pan, added a little sure jell & a slurry of cornstarch, and boiled for a few minutes. I then re-mixed with the fruit, put in the pie shell, and chilled for two hours at work. I also made the whipped cream with toasted sugar for a little more depth of flavor. Turned out great!! My coworkers absolutely loved it and I also thought it was a great fresh tasting pie– especially great since there was no jello. Thanks so much for the recipe and just wanted to share in case others were trying to make ahead as well- honestly next time I’d just cook the glaze in the morning, as I think it would’ve been just as much work as reheating.
Hi Joanna, Thanks so very much for coming back to leave a review and share your feedback on making it ahead. I’m glad it worked out and that it was enjoyed!
What temperature should the oven be when baking the crust?
Hi Kara, 425 degrees F (step #3).
Are you claiming this as a recipe you created? Just curios. This is the exact Cooks Illustrated recipe for Fresh Strawberry Pie in their issue number 110, May & June 2011 and their exact pie crust recipe.
No, I am not claiming this as a recipe I created. As you can see below the recipe, I cite that it is from Cook’s Illustrated.
Wow, looking delicious. I love strawberries. I would try it for sure.
Hi Michelle,
I’m so anxious to make this pie! My local store just had the original sure-jell (yellow box). Would this work with any adjustments?
Thank-you so much,
Sharon Atcheson
Hi Sharon, Unfortunately the original recipe states that if you use the yellow box, the filling will not set up properly. I do see that it’s available for purchase on Amazon, though! >> http://amzn.to/2sV1qPx
Thanks so much. I’ll get the low sugar. Your blog is a favorite of mine!
I used Gelatin in the same measures you suggested and it was delicious….. I got LOTS of compliments from my guests. Thanks for another great recipe!
This pie is wonderful. I made a strawberry pie many year ago that was cold and dull. So I hesitated before trying this recipe. It’s strawberry picking season, so I picked some strawberries with this pie in mind. I love the delicious flavors of the filling, crust and whipped cream. I love the old fashionness of it; it practically takes you to a diner counter while you eat it. It is a snap to cut and serve, which is a bonus. Also, I had never used pectin before, which made it a very educational recipe.
I love this recipe! My husband raves about this pie all year. After he’s finished one he wants me to make another!
My family loves chocolate dipped strawberries, so I added a drizzle of dark chocolate to my pie. Chocolate makes all things better.
Is not recommended to make this the day before then? As it states to serve within 5 hours?
Hi Linda, You might be able to, but the glaze will start to thin out the longer it’s refrigerated. As long as you’re okay with that… I would probably say the night before serving is the earliest I would make it.
I made this pie for the first time yesterday because I liked the idea of using strawberry puree instead of the usual Jello. I was shocked how thin the glaze ended up by the time it was served about 7 hours after it was made (it was kept refrigerated) It was like soup! Embarassing when I am known for my pies. Will probably go back to using Jello.
Love the pie crust– definitely will be my go-to crust now.
Yes, it thins out considerably, which is why it’s recommended to serve within 5 hours. The crust is my favorite, glad you loved it!
I made this pie and it turned out fantastic. The glaze was easy to make and much better than the stuff you buy at the grocery store. The whipped cream was delicious also.