blue artichoke

I know, I should be posting a Sunday Muffins recipe today, but, again, the muffins we ate this morning were just... good. I made Blueberry-Peach Muffins, the peach flavor supposed to be added by peach yogurt, but was undetectable. And, as blueberry muffins, they weren't the greatest. I suppose I'm in the midst of a Blueberry Muffin Snackdown. I've tried several recipes this summer, using the bounty of fresh berries that I buy each week, but so far no recipe has proven outstanding. There are a few more to try, though, so hopefully by the end of blueberry season, I'll have a winner.

I don't want to leave you without a delicious recipe, though, so here's the recipe for the awesome strawberry pie I made when GC's friend Kyle was in town (I don't know his gourmand name).

Strawberry Pie

Pastry:
½ c. shortening
1-½ c. flour
½ t. salt
3-4 T. ice water

Preheat oven to 425. Cut the shortening into the flour and salt until pea-sized. Add water, 1 T. at a time, mixing lightly with fork. When mixture holds together, gently form a ball and roll it out onto a floured surface to ~1/4” in thickness. Place in a 9” pie pan. Prick bottom and sides of dough with fork. Place pie weights or another lightweight pie pan on crust to keep it from bubbling up while baking. Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Strawberry filling:
4-5 c. fresh strawberries
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1 c. sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping

Crush 1 c. of strawberries. Add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Strain juice from berries. Add enough water to make 1 c. berry juice. Set aside.

Put sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Slowly add berry juice. Stir until smooth. Bring to a boil over med heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and clear. Cool slightly. Arrange remaining berries in baked pie shell. Pour glaze over berries. Chill.

Serve with whipped cream or whipped topping.

Serves 6.
The Cat Who…Cookbook

The crust was so quick to make and really easy to work with, baking up thick, crispy and flaky. Too bad it uses Crisco. The filling was also easy to make. I cooked some strawberries, then blended them with a wand-blender, strained and reduced that. I didn’t need to add additional water. It thickened up nicely and quickly, but was still a bit runny after sitting in the fridge. Make sure it is really thick before removing from the heat. I sliced the remaining strawberries into 1/4th and arranged them in the crust. It doesn't have to look pretty because the glaze will pretty much hide everything. Flavor was awesome. Best topped with whipped cream.

Getting to Know All About You: What is the dessert you most frequently make (type or specific recipe)?