Here is the pie recipe--from Betty
Crocker in the 70's--with a little tweaking by ME!
If you don't buy ready crust:)
PIE CRUST
preheat oven 475 F
for 8 or 9 inch 2 crust pie (or 2 pie shells)2/3 Cup plus 2 TBS Shortening
2 Cups all purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
4 to 5 TBS COLD water
1.
Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. (Never knew what THAT means--but I do cut shortening in thoroughly till no powdery flour left in mix. you "cut" with a pastry cutter)
2. Sprinkle in water and gently toss around with a fork until all flour is moist and dough just about cleans sides of bowl.
3. Gather pastry into a ball--take half and roll out into circle to fit pie plate--Over rolling or too much handling makes crust tough.
4. Lay in pie plate and turn under top edge and crimp. Thoroughly poke holes with fork on bottom and sides (If you have pie weights and know all those tricks--you don't need this recipe anyway--you know what you are doing!) now roll another one--you might as well make two at one time--save it for later:)
5. Bake at 475 about 8-10 minutes until light brown. Cool.
Strawberry Pie filling. FOR 1 PIE 8 or 9 inch
at least 6 cups of rinsed and hulled strawberries( about 1 and 1/2 quarts)
3/4 C. sugar (or 1 cup if berries not too sweet)
3 TBS cornstarch
1/2C. water
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened--optional
1. Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a 2 qt sauce pan. Very gradually add the water--to avoid "lumps"
2. Mash enough strawberries to measure about 1 cup. or a little over that.
3. Stir strawberries into sugar mix in saucepan.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly(I don't and sometimes it turns out and sometimes I get LUMPS) until mixture thickens and boils.(Goes from cloudy red to clear)
Boil and stir for 1 minute.
5. Cool--doesn't have to be COLD--just not piping hot--warm is okay!
6.OPTIONAL Beat Cream Cheese till smooth--I add a couple TBS sugar to it
Spread on bottom of cooled pie crust.
7. pat dry a bit the remaining strawberries and fill the pie shell with them.
8. Pour cooked strawberry mixture over the top.
8.
Refrigerate for 3 hours--top with whipped cream if desired.
Here it is! Just leave a comment by midnight May 31.
