Simple Strawberry Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Music Pairing: No One Said It Would Be Easy by Cloud Cult

I never share a recipe that hasn’t been tested, and tested some more, so let’s just say this is like giving you a peek from one of my journal pages. It’s a rough guideline that lives in my head, and I never really write down. Much as I love my job, the most relaxing moments in the kitchen are when I’m just throwing a bunch of ingredients into a bowl, using just my scale and eyes to judge their accuracy. Thankfully, I know metric conversions by heart, so I can easily convert my whims into U.S. measurements.

p.s. I shared a playlist of many of my music pairing in the June 2014 newsletter. Here it is in case you missed it. Don’t forget to sign up to get the next newsletter (psst…look at the upper right hand corner of the page). It should be coming mid-July.

I can tell you the pie crust goes something like this:

1 2/3 cups (300 grams) flour

Salt, maybe 1/2 teaspoon?

1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar

1 stick (112 grams) very cold butter

4 to 6 tablespoons (60 to 90 ml) ice cold water

Add the flour, salt, sugar and butter to a food processor. Pulse until it forms crumbly, pea-sized pieces. Add the water. Pulse just until the dough comes together into a bowl. Dump onto a floured surface, and divide in half. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

The filling went something like this:

1 quart (454 grams) strawberries, stems removed and sliced

3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar

Freshly juice of 1/2 lemon

about 1/4 cup (38 grams) flour

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

Add the filling ingredients together to a medium bowl. Stir until everything is well mixed.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one crust to fit into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate (not deep dish!).  Trim the edges, if necessary, leaving about 1/2 -inch overhang. Pour in the filling, spreading it with the back of a spoon to create an even layer.

Again, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining pie crust. Place it over the filling. Trim the edges, if needed, to match the overhang of the bottom crust. Pinch the edges closed, and crimp or flute the piecrust. If you prefer a shiny top, beat an egg with a splash of water, and brush the top and edges of the crust. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut slits in the top (this allows air to escape as the filling cooks down inside the pie).

Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350F (180C). Bake for 23 to 27 minutes more until the juices begin to bubble from the air vents, and the crust is deep golden. Sometimes I need to cover the edges of my crust to prevent them from getting to too dark, and other times I don’t. Go figure. Let the pie cool completely before cutting.