Category: Strawberry

Big Guy Strawberry Pie

7/25/2016

5 Comments

One from the A.R.T./Preview Pie Board... Big Guy Strawberry Pie... It's pure, simple, easy to bake, and filled with sweet juicy strawberries. Bake this and take this to your next summer picnic. Everyone will thank you for it. Promise.

"Big, whole, juicy strawberries, with plenty o' sugar, baked into a truly flaky double crust."

Add sugar, tapioca starch, lemon zest and juice.

Sprinkle bottom of your first pie crust with crust dust and minute tapioca.

Fill your first crust with prepared strawberries...

...and dot with butter.

I wanted a little bit of color to peak out...

...crimp the edges...

...till it looks like this! (Brush with egg-white wash and sprinkle with sugar.)

Bake to perfection!

Bring to the nearest and soonest picnic, and share if you dare!

Big Guy Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:
-1 truly flaky crust (double)
-2 LBS (6-8 cups) fresh strawberries
-1/2 cup o' sugar
-1/2 TSPN lemon zest (zest of 1/2 a lemon)
-1 TSPN lemon juice (juice of 1/2 a lemon)
-5 TBSPN tapioca starch
-1 TBSPN crust dust (1/2 part flour, 1/2 part sugar)
-1 TSPN minute tapioca
-1 TBSPN cubed butter
-egg white wash
-course white sugar
+Extra equipment: small metal frosting tip, or small cookie cutter

Directions:

Assemble your truly flaky crust into a pie shell, crimp edges, place in fridge.
Wash your strawberries and cut stems off, leave small strawberries whole, and cut the larger ones in half.
In a large bowl, combine strawberries with: 1/2 cup o' sugar, 5 TBSPN tapioca starch, 1/2 TSPN lemon zest, and 1 TSPN lemon juice. Set aside.
Roll out your second truly flaky crust, and cut small circular shapes using metal frosting tip, or small cookie cutter.
Take truly flaky crust out of fridge, and sprinkle 1 TBSPN crust dust and 1 TSPN minute tapioca over prepared crust.
Place strawberries and their juices into truly flaky crust. Dot with 1 TBSPN cold cubed butter.
Place second crust over pie pan and press down along crust seam to help seal in juices. Once sealed, crimp the edges.
Brush top of pie with egg white wash, and sprinkle with coarse white sugar.
Bake at 425F for 20 minutes, then reduce to 375F. Cook until strawberries and juice bubble and top crust is nicely browned (total time: 50-60mins). *If you notice your edges are browning too fast, take out mid-bake and cover edges with foil or silicone crust protector.
Let cool and sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours before slicing!
SUGAR. BUTTER. FLOUR!

5 Comments

Red, White, and BLUEberry Pie

7/4/2016

5 Comments

It's officially Fourth of July!

It's officially Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day! Enjoy this very patriotic and very Red, White, and BLUEberry pie!

Find very ripe, fresh, sweet blueberries...

...combine with lemon juice and zest...

...and plenty of sugar.

Pour your blueberry mixture over your truly flaky crust...

...and bake to perfection.

Smooth a layer of fresh whipped cream over the blueberries...

...and assemble in a very patriotic way, using your berries of reds and blues.

Sit for 5 mins while you decide if you want to cut into this beauty...

...then decide you must. Because you have a barbecue to get to after all...

5 Comments

Got My Vote Rhubarb Compote Pie

7/3/2016

1 Comment

This pie was on the menu board at ART, but was cut before opening night on Broadway. It's 1 of a few delicious-sounding pies that were booted sometime during previews (Scott, I'd love to know why!). It was replaced by Humble Crumble Rhubarb Pie (coming soon...). I can see how this pie might not have been a hit with Joe's diners (it's complex and has a pudding-like texture). But. It is GOOD people! With the lemon and strawberries that I added to the rhubarb compote, it tastes like strawberry lemonade. In a pie. It's sweet and tart, and MUST be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream atop. This pie definitely got my vote!

Compote is a sauce made from cooking fruit with sugar. I knew a traditional compote wouldn't be thick enough to hold up in a pie, so I did have to add some thickening agents. And while the title of this pie didn't mention any strawberries or lemons, I knew rhubarb on its own would be very sour and not have enough depth to hold up on its own in a compote. This pie was tricky. You can't overcook the compote or the whole fruit will completely dissolve, but you do need to add your thickening agents and give them enough time to firm up the sauce. It was a delicate balance, but it paid off...