Summer, Summer, Summertime. Time for Strawberry Pie

Summer, summer, summertime
Time to sit back and unwind
(Will Smith)

School is out and it's a sort of a buzz
But back then I didn't really know what it was

But now I see what have of this
The way that people respond to summer madness...

Back in Philly we be out in the park
A place called the plateau is where everybody go...

And with a pen and pad I compose this rhyme
To hit you and get you equipped for the summertime

Do you ever sit and think about summers as a kid?

Summer back in Rhode Island for me was hot, muggy afternoons playing wiffel ball, sunburns at Scarborough Beach, cannonballs into our backyard pool, and nights being eaten alive by mosquitoes while playing miniature golf.

Summer was also my mom's Strawberry Pie. Like an American flag, it was part of the 4th of July every year. As a kid, I LOVED strawberries. When I discovered that my cousin Anthony was allergic to them, I thought it was the saddest thing I had ever heard (of course, I was 6, so Darfur wasn't really on my radar).

To this day, strawberry pie is one of my favorite desserts. Not just because fresh strawberries are slathered with a tangy-sweet apricot sauce, and not just because all of that lusciousness is perched atop a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pie crust.

Nope. It's because strawberry pie still reminds me of sticky summers as a kid. And my mom.

Every year, Mom's strawberry pie marked summertime in our house. It's easy to make and so delicious that kids and adults will squabble over who gets the last piece. Really. It happens every time.

I made mine with a homemade pie crust, but if you're pinched for time, a store-bought crust or graham cracker crust would work too. Eat it as is, or top it with a dollop of whipped cream, some chocolate sauce, or Jeff's favorite, mascarpone cheese. Any way you slice it, it's simply summertime scrumptious.


Strawberry Pie with Mascarpone Cheese

Summertime Strawberry Pie
Makes one 9 inch pie
Print recipe only here.

Crust:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ stick unsalted butter (very chilled)
1 large or extra large egg
1-2 tablespoons ice water, or as much as needed

Filling:
1/2 cup finely chopped, ripe strawberries
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (10-ounce) jar apricot preserves (reserve 1-2 tablespoons for spreading on the baked crust)
3 pints of medium sized fresh strawberries (though you may need slightly more or less depending on the size of the berries)


Place rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Use a 9-inch pie plate (preferably glass) coated with cooking spray.

Making the crust with a processor: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times until the dough becomes pebbly in texture. Add the egg and pulse repeatedly until the dough begins to stick together. Slowly add the ice water by the tablespoonful, while using a few long pulses. Add more drops of ice water, as necessary, until the dough holds together well and forms a ball. Invert the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll the dough into a circle one inch larger than your pie plate.

Making the crust by hand: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add chunks of chilled butter, and using a pastry blender or two forks, chop the butter until it resembles little pebbles. At this point, add the egg and ice water, and stir with a spoon until the dough begins to form. Using your hands and working the dough as little as possible, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough holds together. Roll the dough into a circle one inch larger than your pie plate.

Fit the dough snugly inside the plate. Pinching the dough between your index finger and thumb, make a fluted edge around the crust. Prick the crust all over with the top of a fork since the crust will be blind-baked. Refrigerate the pie crust while preparing the filling (you can even refrigerate the crust overnight, which makes a super crispy crust that won't get soggy from the strawberry sauce).

To make the filling, place all filling ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

Wash and pat dry 3 pints of fresh strawberries and cut off the tops. Cut into quarters and set aside.

For blind-baking the crust, use pie weights or cover the pie with parchment paper and fill with dried beans to prevent the crust from shrinking. Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven, remove pie weights, and let cool.

Spread 1-2 tablespoons of apricot preserves on the bottom of the pie crust (this helps keeps it crispy). Pile the sliced strawberries inside the crust (3 pints is usually just right, but you may use more or less depending on the size of the berries). Pour the cooled strawberry-apricot sauce over the strawberries until well covered, leaving about 1/2 inch space between the sauce and the fluted edge.

If there is leftover sauce, then save it to spread on your morning toast or toss into a smoothie!

Have you heard? I'm hosting Sugar High Friday this month, and if you hadn't guessed it already, the theme is berries! The deadline is Sunday, August 3rd, and full details can be found here. Thanks to those of you who have already sent in berry-licious desserts!

You might also like:

Fresh Strawberry, Almond, and Coconut Muffins





Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust





Quick Chocolate-Cinnamon Mousse with Cherries





Strawberry-Rhubarb Sponge Pudding





I'm sending my berry red pie to Zorra of Kochtopf who is celebrating Switzerland's National Day. Want to participate? Send Zorra something red, white, or Swiss.

And if you haven't seen it yet, then check out Susan's Pancake Parade Round-Up with lots of delicious sweet and savory pancake recipes.


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What threat? I Made You a Ricotta Pie.

When I think of Easter, I think of pies. Not chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, or colorful Easter eggs, but delicious Italian pies, especially ricotta.

Growing up, my mom always prepared a traditional and labor intensive Easter dinner. In truth, she could have skipped the whole thing and just served her pies. In the week before Easter Sunday, our house became a dairy. The shelves in the second refrigerator in our basement sagged from countless dozens of eggs, pints of cream, pounds of butter, and tubs of ricotta cheese needed for our pie production.

Although it can be made year-round, ricotta pie (torta di ricotta) is an Italian cheesecake that is especially associated with Easter. There are many regional recipes for ricotta pie, some savory and some sweet. Savory versions usually include meats and additional cheeses, while sweet pies are typically flavored with citrus, nuts, and chocolate.

When I called my mom for her recipe last week, I learned that it was Nan's and that it had a storied past. “Nan was the first person in the family to use pineapple instead of citron in her ricotta pie. And boy were her sisters jealous!” I had no idea Nan was a baking maverick.

Rumor has it that Nan thought her sisters' pies were “too dark” because they used that “awful citron.” (Nan was never one to mince words.) In 1945 she dropped her own bomb on Easter Sunday by showing up to dinner with her new-fangled ricotta pie with pineapple. It was as yellow as an Easter chick. There were mumblings in Italian and raised eyebrows among the women. When dessert time came, all the men agreed: Nan's pie was the best--beautiful and sweet. The women conceded victory. Well, that's the way Nan would tell it anyway.

My family has been enjoying this ricotta pie recipe for the past 62 Easters. It really is a treat. We would eat it for breakfast (along with the rice pie and pizza gain) every morning the week after Easter. It apparently can even be used to get your child into college. In an episode of The Soprano’s, Carmela tries to bribe a woman to write a letter of recommendation for Meadow.

Carmela: "Threat, what threatening? I brought you a ricotta pie and high school transcripts so you could write a letter of recommendation for my little daughter to Georgetown."

I still laugh every time I see that scene. If the mob uses pineapple ricotta pie to muscle people, then it must be something special.

This was my first ricotta pie. My mom told me it’s the “easiest Easter dessert to make.” It was, except that my crust needs a little work. It wasn’t as beautiful as Mom’s, but the texture of the pie was like hers: rich, dense, and velvety ricotta that holds its shape perfectly when sliced.

Italian Ricotta Pie with Pineapple
Print recipe only here. (NOTE: The print version of this recipe had errors in it and has been changed. My apologies to those of you who ended up with "too much filling.")

Pie Crust:

For the last few years, my mom has used Nick Malgieri’s crust recipe from his cookbook How to Bake, so that’s what I used. This recipe will make 2 (two) 9-inch crusts. This ricotta pie uses only a bottom crust, so you will have enough dough for a second pie.

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (chilled)
3 large eggs

Filling: This is all Nan. This will make enough filling for 2 (two) 9-inch pies. Simply cut in half for one.

2 pounds ricotta cheese (drained)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 (20-ounce) can of crushed pineapple (drained)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (dusted on top of pie, and slightly swirled)

For the dough, combine the dry ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times to mix the butter in finely. Add the eggs and pulse repeatedly until the dough forms a ball. Invert the dough to a floured work surface and carefully remove the blade. Wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it while preparing the filling. You may keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before continuing.

If like me, you don’t have a processor, then follow these instructions: Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add chunks of the chilled butter. Using a pastry blender or two forks, chop the butter until it resembles little pebbles. At this point, add the eggs, and stir with a spoon until the dough begins to form. Using your hands and working the dough as little as you can, form a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill for about 20 minutes before rolling out. You may keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before continuing.

For the filling, place the ricotta in one strainer and the pineapple in another for at least 1-1/2 hours, or preferably overnight. Discard the liquids. This will create a thicker pie filling and keep the crust crispier. Add the ricotta to a large mixing bowl, and beat it smooth with a rubber spatula. Beat in the heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, making sure the texture is smooth. Finally, stir in the pineapple.

When you are ready to bake, set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently knead it on a floured surface until it is smooth and malleable. Roll the dough into a 10-inch disk.

Coat the pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the prepared plate and press well into the bottom and sides of the plate. Use the back of a knife to remove the excess dough at the rim of the plate. Create a crust by pinching the dough between your thumb and forefinger.

When you are ready to bake the pie, place the pie plate on the oven rack, then pour the filling inside the pie crust. (Mom’s sage advice for not spilling the filling.) Pour right to the top of the pie plate leaving just a bit of room for the filling to puff up. Sprinkle the top of the pie with ground cinnamon. If you have some extra filling left over as I did, you can pour it into a small baking dish or ramekins for a crustless version, and follow the same baking instructions. Or you can simply discard.

Bake the pie at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 25-35 minutes. The filling should be slightly puffed and golden and “set,” meaning it should be firm not jiggly when you gently move the pie plate. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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