Rebecca's Corner: Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Pie story and photos by Rebecca Giese This strawberry pie is perfect for your next cookout on the lake or backyard barbeque. Super simple, and with little to no prep, you can continue to hang out on the boat, by the pool, or take an afternoon nap during your fourth of July celebrations while still impressing your friends and family with a delicious Americana dessert. You can make your crust from scratch, but you don't have to, instead dazzle with a fun lattice, braids, shapes, and twists. This July, to go the extra mile, cut out stars with a knife or use a cookie cutter. People will think you took hours in the kitchen, but you took roughly 15 minutes to prep and let the oven do its work for 40 minutes. The saying "As easy as pie" definitely applies here.

Strawberry Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 pound strawberries (32 oz) 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter cubed 2 pie crusts 1 egg yolk Sugar for dusting

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set out the pie crust package to get to room temperature. If the dough is too cold, it will break and tear. Grease the pie pan. 2. Cut the strawberries into about dime-size pieces; a little bigger or smaller doesn't hurt. I like my pie strawberry chunky. Add the strawberries to a large bowl. Add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix until the strawberries are evenly covered, and there are no dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. 3. Place one of the pie crust into the bottom of the greased pie pan. It should go up the sides of the pan almost to the top. Add the strawberry mixer on top of the pie crust, then place cubes of the cold butter across the top. 4. Use the second pie crust to create your design. Cut strips for lattice or stars and place the design on top of the pie carefully piece by piece. Any parts that touch the edge of the bottom crust pinch and press to make sure they are connected to give you a firm crust. 5. Brush the pie crust dough with egg yolk and lightly sprinkle sugar. 6. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check the pie after the first 15 minutes. If the crust is starting to brown too quickly, cover lightly with a tent of aluminum foil and continue baking. The pie crust should be golden brown, and the filling bubbling when ready. 7. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream. Dairy-Free Version** For a dairy-free version, check your premade pie crust ingredients list, but most name-brand and generic pie crusts are already dairy-free! Use plantbased butter instead of regular butter for the same great taste without the dairy.