strawberry pie

Strawberries are one of the fruits that are most versatile in the kitchen. Sweet and juicy, they are undoubtedly a great accompaniment to cakes. That is why before the season ends, Carmen ( Yerbabuena en la Cocina ) brings us an easy and delicious strawberry cake: a strawberry pie, with its shortcrust pastry and strawberry filling that go so well together. Enjoy!

I have always had a sweet tooth. I remember when I was a child and I saw these pies filled with strawberries or any other fruit in some American western movies or series; my eyes would be drawn to them and my childish mind would imagine that they must be the most delicious thing in the world, so much so that I could almost smell the aroma perfuming every corner of the house.

Many years later... I confess that every time I prepare this type of cake, when I take it out of the oven, I am transported back to those moments and I almost feel like the protagonists of those films that I liked so much.

To give a traditional touch to cakes, there is nothing better than the beautiful ceramic designs of Emile Henry moulds . I like them so much that whenever I can, I make them the stars of my table: they are ideal for this type of preparations in which there is no need to unmold them and they always surprise with their beauty.

Do you dare to feel the same as me? Let's go for the recipe.

Ingredients​

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 500gr of pastry flour
• 250gr of cold butter
• 120g beaten egg
• 5g of salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 60ml of ice water

For the filling:

• 1kg of strawberries
• 100gr of sugar
• 1 teaspoon Nomu vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 100ml of water
• The juice of half a lemon

To decorate:

• 1 beaten egg
• Brown sugar for sprinkling

Elaboration

1. We begin by preparing the filling. To do this, put the strawberries in a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla and bring to the boil until they begin to release liquid and soften.
2. In a bowl , put the water with the lemon juice and dissolve the cornstarch in it.
3. Pour the contents of the bowl over the strawberries and stir to prevent lumps from forming. Cook for a couple of minutes until thickened and allow to cool.
4. To prepare the shortcrust pastry, put all the ingredients in a bowl or food processor and mix the ingredients until they look like small peas.
5. We turn the dough out onto the table and gently pat it together to form a ball. We wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for half an hour.
6. We take out the dough and divide it in two. We stretch each part with a rolling pin to form two discs of about 3mm thick, using a little flour and baking paper to prevent the dough from sticking. We put it in the fridge for a few minutes.
7. We place the base of the dough in the mould and refrigerate it again while we prepare the lattice, cutting strips of the size we prefer with a pastry cutter . We keep the lattice strips in the fridge for a few minutes to make it easier to handle.
8. Preheat the oven to 180º.
9. We take the mould with the dough out of the fridge and pour in the filling. We smooth it out and carefully form the lattice and decorate it to our liking. We paint with egg and sprinkle with brown sugar.
10. We bake for about 50 minutes at 180º.
11. Once baked, let it cool and serve it in the mould directly to the table.

Emile Henry tall ceramic mould and Joseph&Joseph wooden rolling pin.

Grades:

• To prepare the filling, especially when it comes to fruits that release a lot of liquid like strawberries, I like to cook them beforehand so that they release the excess and add the cornstarch while they are cooking on the heat, to avoid the raw flour taste and the lumps that could form.
• Shortcrust pastry is not difficult at all, you just have to be careful not to over-handle it. You don't have to knead it at any point, it's just a matter of combining the ingredients.

Emile Henry tall ceramic mould and Le Creuset cast iron saucepan

I hope you're encouraged to prepare this strawberry pie. It's delicious! See you soon.