Summer may not actually begin until June, but I consider my favorite season under way when the pints of strawberries start showing up at the farmers' market. They make me feel like a kid again, sitting out in the backyard, my fingers stained red from the berry juice.
Only now that I'm an adult, I don't have to make do with the berries themselves. Because now I'm actually allowed to bake with them. And if you didn't think the world's best fruit (in my personal opinion!) could be improved upon, you apparently haven't had a slice of fresh strawberry pie.
I love this pie recipe because it's super easy and 100 percent vegetarian -- unlike most of the strawberry recipes that require you use some sort of gelatin.
Strawberry Pie (adapted from Edible Brooklyn, via Confessions of an Overworked Mom)
Ingredients:
2 9 inch pie crusts 4-5 cups hulled strawberries, sliced 1 cup sugar juice from one lemon strained 1/8 tsp salt 2 tablespooons flour, heaping 2 tablespoons butter, cut in little piecesDirections:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the bottom pie crust in the pie plate.
In a medium bowl, combine the fruit, sugar, lemon juice, salt and flour and heap the mixture into the pie shell.
Dot the fruit mixture with utter and gently cover the pie with the second crust. Crimp the edges to seal. Using a sharp paring knife, make 5 small cuts in the top of the pie crust to allow the steam to escape.
Place the pie in the oven on top of a cookie sheet to catch spills, and bake for 60-70 minutes.
What is your favorite strawberry treat in the summer months?
Image via sletvet/Flickr