I've kind of always thought that the store stuff tastes metallic. And it's definitely hopped up on Red Dye #40...and high fructose corn syrup...and sodium benzoate... all things that I want to avoid.
So, here is what I do for strawberry pie. I know, I know...you're thinking, strawberry pie? Pfffffffffft. I'm trying to make blog content here people! ;-)
Start with some strawberries...
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| These look like enough! |
Pull off the stems and wash the berries. I core them, too, with this nifty little tool from Pampered Chef.
Hmmm...these look perfect to stuff with chocolate or cream cheese! Naw, let's make a pie.
Add 1 c sugar (although, I use less. I always use less sugar in anything I make) and 2 T corn starch in a small sauce pan. Mix together. The corn starch will make the mixture get thick once you add the berry juice, but I also toss in a small envelope of unflavored Knox Gelatin, so that the pie doesn't run all over the place when you cut into it.
Next, I cut some of the outer skin of the berries...
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| I consider myself officially an adult since I can cut like this now. |
Strawberry thief!!!
...and place the outsides of those skins face down in a baked pie shell. I imagine this is a little preventative thing so that the crust doesn't get soggy...but, this pie never lasts very long around here to find out. :-)
Place 1 c berries in a blender and juice it!
Add enough water to make 1 1/2 c of juice.
Pour into dry mixture and stir very well. Get all of the dry stuff off the bottom of the pan. Boil for two or three minutes until nice and thick. Once thick, let the glaze cool for five or ten minutes.
Lick your whisk.
Spoon some of the glaze on top of the first strawberry layer already in the pie shell. Place the rest of the berries in the pie shell.
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| Pretty! |
And spoon the rest of the glaze on top of the berries. Add candles if it happens to be your husband's birthday.
Yum!
