Strawberry Pie

I loooove strawberry pie. Love it. And this is the time of year when you can make your own luscious sweet strawberry pie, thanks to all the low prices on those plump berries at the grocers and markets. Sooo good, and just so satisfying on a hot, humid-ish day. Which is exactly the kind of weather now creeping into our Kansas springs...

My parents gave me a copy of Mr. Food's version of strawberry pie, and I mixed things up a bit until I had a recipe I liked best. I changed a few of the measurements for sugar/cornstarch, I like a sweeter and denser filling. I also sliced the strawberries, it just seemed to make for not-as-messy eating and also a better proportion of berries/binder :)

I can't stress enough - be sure to chill this pie for at least a good 4 hours, although 6+ would be ideal. You want a nice, ice-cold slice to top with some whipped cream and enjoy in the heat. Mmmmm.

Strawberry Pie

(adapted from Mr. Food)

Ingredients:

1 (9-in.) deep-dish pie shell, baked and cooled

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 c. cold water

1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil while stirring. Boil off until mixture is clear and thick. Add gelatin and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool about 15-20 minutes.

After cooling for a bit, add sliced strawberries to gelatin mixture. Pour into pie shell and chill in refrigerator, at least 4 hours. Serve pie with whipped cream. Yum!

(Not Really Key) Lime Pie

Spring in Kansas – it’s true that you just never know what you’re going to get. Every once in awhile - in between that barometric see-saw of cold snaps, then hot and dreadfully humid thunderstorms, then gloomy chilly days- you get that gorgeous day. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, temps in the low 70s. Just beautiful.

We had one of those days recently, and believe me they are cherished when they show up. I rushed home from work and threw open all the windows. When Hubs got off work, we did our usual warm-weather ritual and went up to campus for a long walk up and down The Hill. Well, okay I should be honest it’s our second-most-common ritual - the first being walking Mass St. and having a beer on the patio at Free State, but I wasn’t quite up for that one this year…

Anyhoo, nice weather just makes a person hungry for certain things, so we both agreed on salads for dinner. But I was also craving something sweet and tart, one of those cravings for dessert you get on a beautiful day. And I knew the perfect dessert. So when we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to grab salad goodies, I also picked up a can of sweetened condensed milk and a bunch of limes. Nothing celebrates the warm weather like a lime pie.



Notice I didn’t say “key lime”, that’s because I rarely use key limes when making this pie. No worries. It is still delicious, I assure you. This recipe rocks because it is not only easy (I pretty much have it memorized), but it is incredibly quick. Hubs took a shower when we got home from our walk, and by the time he walked back into the kitchen to help with salads I was pulling the finished pie out of the oven to cool.

It really is your classic lime pie – sweet and yet tart tart tart, creamy and cool with a nice crunchy crust. Perfect. You can, you know, ruin it by adding a meringue topping or whipped cream if you’d like, but I think it’s just right on its own.


(Not Really Key) Lime Pie
(from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook, 2005)



Ingredients:
For crust:
1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs, fine ground
1 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

For filling:
4 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp. lime zest (I probably used more like 2 Tbsp. We love the tart)
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. fresh lime juice (about 4 limes’ worth)

Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter (I add this with my hands, but a wooden spoon will do fine). Press evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake off the crust for 10 minutes at 325 F. Cool completely.

Prepare the filling: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the yolks and lime zest until smooth. Beat in the milk, then slowly beat in the lime juice. Beat mixture continuously until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to cool until set (about 2 hours).