Strawberry Cream Pie

When I was young, I loved the strawberry cream pie from Moore's Pie Shop.  In fact, I even had one for my birthday one year instead of a cake.  The strawberries have been wonderful this year, so I decided to try my hand at making a strawberry cream pie of my own.

The components of the pie seemed simple enough; pie crust, cream filling, and strawberries.  So, first I made and blind baked a pie crust, then I made a batch of AB's pastry cream, then halved and macerated some strawberries.  I let the pastry cream cool and strawberries macerate overnight in the refrigerator, and the next day I was ready to assemble my pie.

The strawberries released a lot of their juices overnight, so I put the juice in a small saucepan and let it reduce to a syrupy consistency.  I then poured the strawberry syrup over the strawberries to act as a glaze.  Yum!  I spread the pastry cream on the pie crust, then placed the strawberries on top of the cream, and my pie was complete.

The strawberry cream pie was simply delicious.  The strawberries and cream go together so well, and the tender, flaky crust is the perfect vehicle to bring it all together.  It's a cool, sweet flavor wonderland.  A perfect summer treat!

Strawberry shortcake

A springtime delight.  I used to be partial to strawberry shortcake made with a base of sponge cake, but now I prefer the more traditional sweet biscuit shortcake (as pictured above).  I have been making my own shortcake for a few years now, and I just love the flavor and texture it brings to the party.  Here is the shortcake recipe I use:

Shortcake
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Printable Recipe

8 shortcakes

Ingredients
2 cups flour (12 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (2 ounces) plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ounce), plus one tablespoon melted butter for brushing
2 tablespoons shortening (2 ounces)
3/4 cup half and half
Macerated strawberries
Whipped cream

Directions
Heat oven 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening with your fingers. Mix in half-and-half until a sticky batter forms. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Turn out into a kitchen towel lined basket and cool 10 minutes before making strawberry shortcake.

This recipe is a cinch if you already know how to make biscuits from scratch.  If not, it is crucial to know what consistency the dough needs to be before baking.  3/4 cup of half and half may not be enough or it may be too much depending on a variety of factors.  So, add it slowly and keep adding it until a slightly sticky and integrated dough forms.  You do not want the dough to be sticky, nor do you want there to be crumbs.  It takes a little practice and patience, but the result is worth it.

Also, I macerate my strawberries by adding sugar to sliced strawberries and letting them sit for at least an hour to let the strawberries release some of their juices.  There are more complicated ways to do it, but I prefer this simple way.  Assemble the strawberry shortcake however you see fit, then proceed to consume in mass quantities!

Strawberry Huller (Multitasker variety)

One of the best tips I have ever received from Alton Brown was to use a star decorating tip as a strawberry huller. This thing works like a charm, and I already had one in my kitchen! Just pierce the top of the strawberry and scoop to remove the hull without wasting any of the fruit. Give the tip it a little shake to expel the removed hull and move on to the next strawberry. It's a piece of cake, and eliminates any urge to buy a unitasker to get the job done. Thanks for the great 'tip' AB!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Beautiful, fresh strawberries are starting to flood the stores and markets. Ari and Emilie love strawberries so we have been taking advantage of them coming into season. Sure, the supermarkets sell fresh strawberries year round, but the off season varieties pale in comparison to these.

As I was walking through the supermarket the other day, I was drawn to a mesmerizing crimson patch of produce. My eyes opened wide as I saw some delicious looking rhubarb. Already holding a container of strawberries in my hand, it didn't take me long to realize what I must do. Make a strawberry rhubarb pie. The conditions couldn't have been more perfect.

I know I say this about a lot of pies, but strawberry rhubarb pie really is one of my favorites. The tartness of the rhubarb matched with the sweetness of the strawberries is an irresistible flavor combination. Combine that with a tender, flaky crust, and it is pure pie bliss.


The recipe I used when I made this pie in the past produced mixed results and I found myself modifying it quite a bit. The recipe was quite old, too, and since Alton Brown hasn't given us a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe yet, I decided to look for a new one. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com that looked promising.

When I made the pie, I ended up using Alton Browns pie crust recipe instead of the one in the recipe because it is an exceptional pie crust and I am familiar with making it. I also made a couple modifications to the filling recipe based on the comments from foodnetwork.com. I added four tablespoons of tapioca flour instead of two tablespoons of minute tapioca; and I omitted the lemon zest because of personal preference. Here is how I made the filling and finished the pie:

Printable Recipe

Filling:
2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries (in larger pieces)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Large granule sugar

Filling Preparation:
Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter. Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar. Collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Also, you can use a pie bird for extra decor. Let cool before serving.

One other change I made was a lattice top crust, just because that's how I like my strawberry rhubarb pie.

This was the best strawberry rhubarb pie I have ever had, and this recipe is definitely a keeper. I'm glad strawberry season is just getting started!

Strawberry Quandary

An old bit of knowledge was knocked out from the caverns of my brain last night: The strawberry is technically not a fruit. I knew this was true, but I did not know what classification strawberries belonged to; so I looked it up. As it turns out, the strawberry is an accessory fruit, false fruit, or, my personal favorite, pseudocarp. This is true because the flesh is derived not from the ovary but from some adjacent tissue.

I guess I'll just add this to the useless information pile in my head, and now you can too!