Now that we’re flush with local strawberries it’s prime time for all of those great berry desserts: shortcakes, ice cream, jams, pies and cakes.
Strawberries are plentiful now, ranging in price from $5 to $8 per quart at various farmers’ markets
The most popular one is strawberry-rhubarb pie. Another favorite is the unbaked version of strawberry pie in which you cook berries with sugar and a bit of cornstarch until it’s as thick as jam and then mix fresh berries into the sauce and put it into a pre-baked shell. Topped with whipped cream, it’s a great summer dessert. This method also works with blueberries and blackberries.
But there’s one that seems to get lost in the strawberry repertoire shuffle—namely, plain old strawberry pie baked in a buttery pastry case and topped with a lattice crust. No interlopers like rhubarb or other flavor distractions, it’s all pure berries and there’s nothing plain about it. With sugar for sweetening, flour for thickening and a touch of cinnamon and cardamom for flavoring it’s truly the essence of strawberry pie at its finest.
You can also use up berries that are just beginning to over ripen; they’re juicy and delicious. For this pie I used sparkle berries, which Alewive’s Brook Farm sells now. They’re a great berry, the one that the farm uses in their strawberry jam.
Ingredients
- 1 double-crust 9-inch pastry dough
- 1 quart strawberries, hulled, cut in half to measure about 4 cups
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- Pinch of cinnamon and cardamom
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg and tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
- Coating sugar (turbinado sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare your favorite recipe to yield a 2- crust 9-inch pie. Or use my flaky dough feature in the June 10 post. Roll out the bottom crust to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edge and chill until needed.
- Meanwhile prepare the berries as directed and put into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, flour and spices and mix until well blended. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Fill the chilled bottom crust with the berry mixture. Dot the top with butter cut into small pieces and then affix the lattice top. Brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle the turbinado (raw) sugar over the top.
- Put the pie on a foil- or parchment-lined half pan baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the filling bubbles nicely and becomes syrupy and thickened, about 45 minutes.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
