Week 25 - Strawberry Pie
Since week 25 happened to fall in the middle of strawberry season, I decided to make Strawberry Pie, from "Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cook Book", published in 1954.
"Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cook Book" from 1954
In the past, the only strawberry pie I have ever eaten was strawberry rhubarb pie. I'm not a huge fan of that and always wish the rhubarb were left out. The strawberry filling in this recipe contained just strawberries, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Just before putting the top on the pie I dotted the filling with butter.
Fresh strawberries in a vintage jadeite bowl
Pie filling, ready to be topped.
Most pie crust recipes I've used don't seem to make quite enough dough for a two crust pie. I always have to patch in the upper crust to make it cover the filling properly. This recipe was no different. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make a full crust on the top of the pie so I went for a lattice top which uses less dough. It turned out to be a good decision as I barely had enough dough for even the lattice work. I did however make sure I saved a bit of dough to make a little strawberry shape to decorate the top of the pie.
My vintage rolling pin and pie dough
Making the pie crust for the pie
After it was baked and cooled I found the filling was watery and wouldn't set up properly. I couldn't figure out why and at first I thought it might be the recipe itself. However, I figured Betty Crocker wasn't as likely to mess things up as I am, so it was most likely an error on my part. After re-reading the recipe I realized that I left the flour out of the filling. The flour would have helped to thicken the filling and make the slices more solid. Even with this mistake the pie still tasted great.
The final pie
I'd like to try and make this pie again, but want to experiment with the filling. The cinnamon added a nice flavor to the pie, but did dull the flavors of the berries a bit. I think lemon zest might add a brightness to the filling and help enhance the flavors of the strawberry. I know that I left out the flour as thickening agent, but I'm afraid that adding that back in would dull the flavors further. When I made the cherry pie in week 7 the recipe called for instant tapioca as its thickening agent. This thickened the filling nicely, but allowed the fruit flavor to remain strong. I may try these alterations in future attempts at this recipe.
Cookbook: "Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cook Book", published in 1954
Recipe: Strawberry Pie
Difficulty: Easy
Alterations: None, but I did forget the flour in the filling
Results: The taste was great, but the filling was much too watery
Make Again: Yes, but I would like to experiment with the filling
A slice of pie, with a dollop of whipped cream. It is also great with vanilla ice cream.