Strawberry Pie one on me.

It's August already.  The summer has flown by so fast and before I know it I will be shocked it is September.  My sister asked me to make her a strawberry pie for a BBQ she was having and this gave me an idea. I am going to dedicate the month of August to PIES and TARTS!   If you haven't seen Martha Stewart's Pie and Tart book, you need to check it out.  There are so many fabulous looking desserts.  Page after page of mouth watering pie/tart goodness. They all look good but do they all taste good?  This month you and I will both find out.  I am going to do my best to bake quite a few from this book.  Don't worry,  I am sure I will still have several ice creams and other desserts to throw in the blogging mix but there will be quite a lot of pies coming your way.   To start, the strawberry pie requested by my sister.   This is not actually a Martha pie, this comes from the food network magazine care of Emeril Lagasse.  I loved the look of this pie, sort of like a deep dish pizza filled with fruit and topped with a crumble.  This pie involves some waiting time so be prepared when you plan on making this. 

Strawberry Crumb Pie

(Adapted from Food Network)

INGREDIENTS:

Crust

• 1/2 cup (4oz) cold unsalted butter
• 3 oz cold cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose
• pinch of salt

Crumb

• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Filling

• 6 cups (2 lbs) hulled, quartered strawberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp grated orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make the Crust

1) Add butter and cream cheese to a food processor and process until smooth. 

2) Add the flour and salt and process again until the dough comes together and forms a ball. 

3) Scrap out the dough, form it into a disk and wrap in saran wrap. Place the disk in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Make the Crumb

1) In a medium bowl, stir together oatmeal, sugar and flour.  Add the melted butter and stir until combined and moistened.  Refrigerate the topping until chilled. 

Pre-bake the dough

1) Preheat the oven to 350F.   Lightly flour a flat surface.  Roll out the dough to 1/8  inch thick and fit into a 9 inch springform pan, having the crust go up the sides. Return the crust to the fridge for 20 minutes.  Trim off the excess dough to level off the crust on the inside of the pan.  Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans and baked for for 18-20 minutes until crust is lightly golden brown.   Remove the beans and foil and let cool. 

Make the filling:

1) Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Add the strawberry filling to the crust and sprinkle the crumb topping over the strawberries.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 50-55 minutes, until filling is bubbling and crumb is golden brown.   Transfer to a rack to cool. 

The crust for this pie was very easy to put together and tasted great.   I actually couldn't believe how well it came together and how easily it was to handle and roll.  This dough will be used in other pies for sure. 

Although this pie wasn't for me, I was able to steal a piece for myself.   I really enjoyed this pie.  I think I would have used brown sugar for the crumb topping instead of white granulated but a minor change.   This was great. 

MEG's RATING : D-EEEE-LICIOUS

My photo shoot got invaded by my niece when my sister came to pick up the pie.  What can I say,  she is also a big fan of strawberries.   Too Cute for words!!