Southern Style Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup butter, very cold
- 1/4 cup shortening, very cold; feel free to substitute an additional 1/4 cup butter for the shortening
- 1/4 cup ice water
For the Strawberry Filling:
- 2 tsp. unflavored gelatin powder, stirred into 1/4 cup cold water
- 6 cups strawberries, sliced, divided in 2 halves
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, or up to 1-1/4 cups if you prefer sweeter
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp. corn starch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
For the Vanilla Whipping Cream:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 rounded tbsp. confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
To prepare the pastry:
- Using a food processor or a pastry blender, add flour, salt, cold butter and shortening (if using); cut until mixture resembles a coarse meal; small pieces of butter should still be visible.
- Pour cold water over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form; use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.
- Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2 rounds, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- The second round can be frozen and used another time.
- The dough can also be made the previous day; take it out of the refrigerator for 10 – 20 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
- Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle and place in the bottom of a 9-inch or 10-inch pie plate.
- Trim and flute the edges as desired; poke a few holes in the bottom of the pastry shell, rest in the refrigerator for an additional 20 minutes.
- Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before adding the filling.
To prepare the filling:
- Add the gelatin to the 1/4 cup cold water; set aside for a few minutes until needed.
- To a small saucepan, add 3 cups of the sliced strawberries, the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water; simmer for only a few minutes until the strawberries have released most of their juice.
- Dissolve the corn starch in the 1/4 cup of water and stir into the simmering strawberries; stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes while the strawberry mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until it is fully dissolved.
- Allow to cool to almost room temperature before stirring in the 3 cups of fresh sliced strawberries.
- Pour into the baked pie shell and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight, until set.
To prepare the vanilla whipped cream:
- Using an electric mixer, beat all of the ingredients together until firm peaks form.
- Use the cream to garnish the pie or add a dollop of it to the top of the pie when serving.
