Strawberry Jello Pie

Being what I consider a "southern" gal.... I was raised to LOVE PIE!! You must say it like eye with a P to be effective!! My dad is a real pie lover....fruit pies, cream pies, nut pies.... any pie at all!!! I too love pie but to tell you the truth I love the pie crust almost as much as the filling. So to have a really good pie you must make a really good pie crust. Now don't get me wrong I too love the convienence of a refrigerated or frozen crust from the grocery store but a really good pie has a homemade crust. Over the years I have made many different crust versions but my tried and true favorite for the past 10 years has been from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. This crust uses both butter and crisco and is made in the food processor. It always turns out well and you can't really mess it up unless you beat it to death in the food processort I guess. Let's make one shall we:

Perfect Pie Crust

12 tablespoons ( 1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6-8 tablespoons ( about 1/3 cup) ice water

1. Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.

2. Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to mix.

3. Add the butter and shortening.






























I use Crisco Butter flavored Shortening for all my pie crusts. I keep it in the refrigerator so it is cold when I need it for pie crusts.

Pulse 8-10 times until the butter is the size of peas.

I put ice in my water initially to get it super cold then remove the ice and measure the right amount of water needed (1/3 cup).

4. With the machine running pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.

5. Dump out onto a floured surface and form a ball.

You can see the butter bits in the dough. This is exactly what you want. As the crust bakes the butter will melt releasing steam and that is what makes a flaky crust.

This recipe makes two crusts. I only need one for my strawberrry pie so I divided the dough now into two disks and wrap with plastic wrap.

One I will freeze for later. One will be put into the refrigerator now for at least 30 minutes to let the dough "relax". You don't want to stretch pie dough or it will shrink while baking.

6. Put the rested dough on a floured surface. Roll with a rolling pin....rolling from the center of the dough outward. Moving the dough as you go to keep it from sticking.

7. Fold the dough in half over the rolling pin and place in the pie pan. Unfold to fit the pan.

Since I am making a one crust pie that requires prebaking....I crimp the edges around the rim of the pie plate. I use the two finger technique my mother taught me...you can do whatever pleases you. I squish the dough between two finger and leave a raised piece in the middle as you see below.

You must "dock" the dough now to prevent it from exploding into pieces in the over. That means use a fork and prick the bottom and sides to give the air a place to escape.
8. Bake the pie crust at 450 degrees for 9-11 minutes until browned. Do not overbake.
Cool the crust complete on a wire rack before adding the strawberry filling.

Strawberry Glaze for Pie Filling

1 small package of Strawberry Jello

2 cups cold water

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

2 quarts fresh, ripe strawberries

1. Clean and slice the strawberries.
2. Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps begin heating the strawberry mixture. When the mixture begins to boil turn heat to a simmer and continue to stir for one minute. Remove from heat and set aside. The mixture should be glossy and have the appearance of a glaze.
3. Fill prepared pie crust with strawberries. Mound the berries in the crust the way you want the pie to look. Make it pretty.

4. Pour the cooled glaze over the pie covering all the strawberries. Place the pie in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until set.

Slice and serve with whipped cream.

I grew up eating this pie at Shoney's resturants. The chain originated in Charleston WV. It was a very popular place to be in the 70's. They were known for this pie. Thanks Shoney's for this favorite!!

Happy Trials,
Mtn Mama

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