Birthday Pie (Strawberry)

Birthdays are always very nostalgic for me. I think of all of the things my family did to make my birthday special. Swedish pancakes for breakfast cards from dad with tally marks representing each year of my life, bringing out the "special plate" for the occasion, that surprise, kept-for-later present mom would pull out after all the other presents had been opened, and of course strawberry pie.

Most people have cake for their birthdays...and cakes are great, but when your birthday is smack-dab, right-in-the-middle of strawberry season, it's hard to pass up the opportunity to whip up a pie. Yesterday being my 25th birthday, I decided it was high time I tried to make a strawberry pie.

(Coincidentally, I had the best of both worlds since my friend Steph made me a cake too!)

Usually, people think of strawberry pie as a fresh berry pie...uncooked berries placed in a graham cracker crust, lacquered with a sugary-sweet glaze and topped with a dollop of whipped cream (or perhaps Cool-Whip). I'm sure this kind of pie is yummy, but my birthday pie is completely different.

My strawberry pie is the kind my Grammy always made. A quart of sliced strawberries, preferably picked by the sweat of one's own brow, bathed in an appropriate amount of sugar, and baked between two rich, tender crusts. Strawberry pie is best eaten warm. It's the kind of pie that comes out of the oven and the whole house is filled with its fragrance -- the kind of pie where you beg for a slice before it could possibly even be cool enough to eat.

Like an old friend, the flavors of a strawberry pie call to mind people and places. That first bite explodes with memories of being in my Grammy's kitchen and eagerly anticipating the "Parade of Pies" at the end of each meal. I can recall picking berries with my sis last year; prepping many, many quarts of deliciously plump, red berries. I can remember being fifteen and blowing out those candles on the birthday pie mom made me. And of course, I can remember eating many a piece for breakfast the next day!

Strawberry Pie

Makes one 10-inch pie
Total Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours plus 2 hours cooling time

1 recipe pie crusthttp://heidisayinggrace.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-to-pie-crust.html

1 quart pick-your-own strawberries, sliced

1 scant cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

pinch salt

1 T. butter

For starters, your pie will be unbelievably better if you use pick-your-own strawberries, straight from a berry field or farmer's market. Supermarket strawberries tend to have little flavor, and will make a hum-drum pie. Or...if you can only access supermarket strawberries, then make this pie in late May or early June, when strawberries are actually in season. The supermarket berries are much better during berry season!

Start by making your pie crust! You will need a recipe for a double crust pie (a bottom crust and a top crust). Roll out the bottom crust and lay it gently across a 10 inch pie pan.

I use old, 10-inch, glass pie pans. I think most, if not all, modern pie pans are 9 inches. The amounts for this pie should be okay for a 9 inch, but I haven't done it myself.

Wash your berries. You will need 1 heaping quart of berries. 

Cut off the stems.

And cut in half.

You should have 4 cups of luscious, halved berries. 

Combine sugar, flour and salt in a small bowl.

Spread about 1 T. of the mixture in the bottom of your pie pan.

Mix the rest of the sugar mixture with the berries.

Then dump sugared berries into the pie and dot with pats of butter.

Top with second pie crust, crimp, cut vent holes in the center and slather with cream. 

Make sure to wet edges of bottom pie crust with a bit of water before topping with second crust. This helps to seal the edges which helps keep your pie from leaking. Although, it always seems to leak a little anyway!

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes, until pie begins to bubble in the center or around the edges. As soon as you see the pie "bubbling", it is done. 

Cool completely before cutting. 

Using frozen strawberries:

Since strawberry season is so short, my family will pick many quarts of strawberries in the summer and freeze them for pies. Here's how to do it!

Wash berries, hull and cut in half. Fill quart-sized freezer bags with 4 cups of berries and 1/3 cup sugar. Freeze. 

When ready to make a pie, thaw berries and proceed with recipe, adding only 2/3 cup of sugar instead of the whole cup.
    

Recipe from my Grammy.

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