Saturday, June 10, 2017

Louise Carey's Strawberry Pie

Louise Carey (on the left) was one of the kindest women I had met. This is her recipe for strawberry pie. It makes 2 crusts and 2 pie fillings. You need to make the pie filling in 2 separate batches.  Next to Louise was Grace, our neighbor for many years.  She was one of our neighborhood moms and played with us often. It takes a village, right? Enjoy the recipe.

LOUISE CAREY'S
STRAWBERRY PIE
Louise Carey
Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
4 T. ice water, 1 T. at a time, may not need all 4 T.
1/2 c. plus 2 tsp. Crisco
pinch salt

Pie Filling:
2 c. water, divided 1 cup each pie
1 1/2 c. sugar, divided 3/4 cup each pie
2 T. cornstarch, divided 1 T each pie
2 qt. sliced fresh strawberries (smaller berries are sweeter) 1 quart each pie
red food coloring

Heat oven to 425 degrees. The crust makes 2 crusts, but the filling needs to be doubled, made in 2 separate batches. You could try to double, but I don't think it cooks as well. The crust: In a bowl, mix flour, Crisco, salt, strawberries, and ice water (1 T. at a time, you may not need all) with a pastry blender. From into 2 balls. Roll very thinly and place into a pie pan. bake until edges are browning around 6 minutes. (  I find it takes longer than 6 minutes for my oven) Watch closely so it doesn't burn. You want a paper-thin flaky light tan crust. Set aside to cool. The filling for one pie: In a medium saucepan place 1 cup. of water, 3/4 c. sugar, a pinch of salt and 2 T. cornstarch. Stir over medium heat. Let it boil until it thickens. Remove from heat Add a few drops of red food coloring and stir. Add in 1-quart strawberries, stir and pour into 1 baked pie shell. Now repeat the filling and give that pie to the neighbor.

Note: This recipe is why the strawberry was created by God. Makes a great pie. This is a great lady, a Proverbs 31 woman all the way.