Summer Strawberry Pie

One of my favorite summer foods is fresh strawberry pie. I used to make strawberry pie with store bought glaze but it always had a bit of a plastic taste to me. I love this recipe because it is incredibly easy, fast and tastes so fresh.

Serves 6-8 (in theory; in reality I could eat the whole thing all by myself)

Ingredients:

-1 9-inch graham cracker crust (store bought or home made)
-2 pints fresh strawberries (2 lbs)

-3/4 cup sugar

-4 1/2 tbsp ultra-gel or cornstarch
 (recipe varies depending on which you use)
-1/3 cup water

-1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Wash the strawberries and remove the green leafy tops.
 Cut berries into halves or fourths depending on your preference. Put in a bowl and set aside.

2. Take 1 cups of the berries and puree them in a food processor.

-If using ultra gel: Combine puree with sugar, ultra-gel, water and vanilla. Stir and set aside.

-If using corn starch: Combine puree with sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, then remove from heat, add in the vanilla extract and whisk the mixture steadily (doesn’t need to be fast, just to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan) while it cools down for about 5 minutes.


3. Pour the sauce over the sliced berries and stir until the berries are coated evenly. Pour berries into the crust and smooth over using a spatula. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve plain or with whipped cream.

Gram Cracker Crust

Ingredients:
-1 1/4 cup crushed gram cracker
-1/3 cup white sugar
-6 tbsp butter, melted


Directions:

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well blended . Press mixture into an 9 inch pie plate.

2. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7-9 minutes, or until crust starts to brown just slightly. Cool.