The Irrational Dessert – [Strawberry Pie]

This past weekend I had my first attempt at making a homemade pie! :) There’s just something about a homemade pie that make me smile. Maybe it’s the amazing aroma from the flakey pie crust, or the ridged cutting of the lattice top that screams time and love was put into making this!! I was surprised at how well the pie turned out, being that it was my first time making a pie fully from scratch. The hardest part was definitely making the pie crust. I don’t have a food processor, so I had to cut the butter into pea sized forms by hand with two knives. I only put the crust in the fridge for 2 hours, but probably should’ve done it overnight so that it would’ve bined better together to make it easier to roll out. For the strawberry filling I went with a simple recipe I found online and added some cornstarch to thicken it. The crust was crispy, not soggy and the strawberry filling was sweet but not too sweet. In the end I guess it really wasn’t an irrational dessert! :)

Recipe (1 (9 inch) pie)

Pie Crust (for 2 (9 inch) pies)
*kept 2nd set of pie crust in the freezer, it’s good for 1 month
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large egg
1 tablespoon white vinegar
water

Strawberry Filling (for 1 (9 inch) pie)
2 lb fresh strawberies, halved
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter

PREHEAT: oven to 400

CRUST: in a large bowl mix together flour and salt. Cut up the butter into 1 inch cubes and scatter into the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms into pea sized crumbs. Take a liquid mesauring cup and crack the egg into it, then adding in the vinegar. Trop with cold water until it reaches 1 cup. Whisk mixture until combined and then pour into the flour mixture. Mix with a fork until the dough starts to form together. Using your hands gently finish mixing the dough until it comes together. Shape the dough into 4 evenly sized disks and wrap each in its own plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight if possible, if not for at least 2 hours.

STRAWBERRY FILLING: wash and cut strawberries in half. Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Take mixture and lightly toss with the strawberries. Pour mixture into pie pan and dot mixture with butter. Cover with top pie crust. If you have a lattice top interlace the crust and if not make sure to cut slits in the top so that the pie can breathe.

BAKE: for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is slightly browned.