The Best Fresh Strawberry Pie

On my last post, I mentioned I'd bake a Fresh Strawberry and Blueberry Pie on July 4th. Happily, it turned out really well. It looked great and everyone was oohing and aaahing over it, appearing very much in a dessert trance, as we ate it. I was praying there'd be an extra piece left, even though the times I've served it, there was none.

I don't say this to garner any praise from y'all for my baking skills. It's really all about finding the recipe, isn't it?

Finding the right recipe makes all the difference in the world. Because one could be easy and quick, while another may take be complicated and take a long time. As an extra added wonderfulness, I found a recipe that doesn't call for a lot of extra gooey thickeners or gelatin to cover naturally sweet and yummy strawberries. Instead, this recipe uses a strawberry puree to help set the strawberries onto the crust. (Hmmm.. Doesn't it sound good already?)

I found the recipe for "Summer Berry Pie" in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and made it work for strawberries.

Just use 6.5 cups of strawberries, instead of the berries. 2.5 cups for the puree and the remaining 4 cups for the filling.

For July 4th spark, I added a handful of blueberries to make it a Red, White and Blue affair.)

I usually make the crust in the morning, ahead of time, so that it cuts down on the prep time later when I actually make the pie.

I also wash and hull the strawberries in the morning (I wrap the berries in paper towel to soak up the water and refrigerate it).

Because it takes 3 hours to chill once made, I make the pie in the afternoon. I make the strawberry filling and pour into the pie crust. Voila, it's ready for a dinner dessert later in the evening!

7/9 Update: I had to remove the recipe from this post. America's Test Kitchen PR contacted me and asked me to take down the recipe. They have very strict guidelines to post a recipe on line, and I would need permission to use it. They do have the recipe on their site, but you have to be a "Premium Member" to view it. Sorry!

If you're itching for a new cookbook anyways, I totally recommend the ATK Family Cookbook for your collection. I've made more than a handful of recipes there and haven't been disappointed. I especially like the tips they have in it.

And of course, getting it for the Strawberry Pie recipe is almost worth it. ;) .. A least for this strawberry pie lover. The recipe's so good, it cured me of my addiction to Marie Calendar's Fresh Strawberry Pie.

If you have a favorite Strawberry pie recipe, post a comment to let us know where you found it picture of it on your site, leave us a url. I'd love to check it out!