Fresh Strawberry Pie

Published June 3, 2020

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Linda Xiao for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(3,581)
Comments
Read comments

This pie is a celebration of perfectly ripe, summertime strawberries. Only two cups of the berries are cooked down into a quick jam, which holds the rest of the fruit together for a delightfully fresh pie. With a crunchy shortbread crust and a cloud of freshly whipped cream, it’s reminiscent of strawberry shortcake — but maybe even better.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

    For the Crust

    • 10 ⅔ounces/300 grams shortbread cookies (two 5⅓-ounce packages)
    • 3tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼cup/55 grams unsalted butter, melted

    For the Filling

    • pounds/about 1 kilogram strawberries (about 8 to 10 cups), hulled
    • cup/65 grams granulated sugar
    • 3tablespoons strawberry preserves
    • ¼cup/30 grams cornstarch
    • Pinch of kosher salt
    • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice

    For the Topping

    • 1cup/240 milliliters cold heavy cream
    • 1tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
    • ½teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

396 calories; 22 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 176 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine shortbread cookies, sugar, flour and salt and blend until you have fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Add butter and mix with a fork until crumbs are evenly moistened. Tip crumbs into a standard 9-inch pie plate and press them in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Bake until golden brown and set, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare filling: Cut each of the strawberries in quarters or eighths, if they are large. Transfer 2 cups berries to a small saucepan and crush completely with a potato masher. Set aside the remaining berries in a large bowl. Add the sugar, preserves, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water and salt to the saucepan.

  3. Step 3

    Bring strawberry mixture to a boil over medium heat and then cook it an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add strawberry mixture and lemon juice to the strawberries in the bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared crust and gently tap it down into an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

  4. Step 4

    Just before serving, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, if using, to soft peaks. Top pie with whipped cream.

Ratings

4 out of 5
3,581 user ratings
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Comments

There is a recipe for a pie very similar to this in the old Fannie Farmer Baking Book. It calls for a regular pie crust made with butter (blind baked). About 3 cups of fresh strawberries crushed and cooked with 3T cornstarch, a cup of sugar and a T. Lemon juice. Cooked until thick and cooled. Then mixed with about 3 cups of fresh, sliced strawberries. No strawberry preserves. Serve with whipped cream. I have also made this with blueberries. You cannot go wrong. It is easy and so delicious.

This is similar to the strawberry pie we’ve always made, but the addition of salt and acid (lemon juice) deepened and balanced the flavor. One change that protects against a soggy crust (if it miraculously doesn’t get eaten the first day) is to spread 4oz of softened cream cheese on the crust before the filling. It works with regular pie crust too. Fresh. Rich. Perfect.

I’ve made this with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and fresh peaches. I just changed the jam to match the fruit.

Can you prepare the filling a day ahead?

My berries are the best!! Truly perfectly ripe and so sweet....But the pie isn't pretty - I guess I hoped for a shiny (from the cooked cornstarch) glaze, but the mashed berries were lumpy and off color, the filling incohesive (as in falling apart on the plate...not all bad, I guess. I had to add significantly more water than a tablespoon, and yes, my berries are quite juicy. I know why the photo is the cream on top - to mask the fruit in the pie and keep the filling together!

This was delicious! I used a graham crust and added a thin layer of sweetened cream cheese per the comments. Didn't have any strawberry preserves so I subbed fig preserves instead. The result was fantastic! Fresh strawberry pie that isn't syrupy and doesn't taste like canned filling!

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