My house is a summer fruit house. It didn’t take long for strawberry pie to make its debut in our kitchen. June in New York City, means watermelon, peaches, cherries, blueberries and the ultimate fan favorite, strawberries. But of course, summer is the perfect time for everything from strawberry pancakes to strawberry mojitos and of course there’s always strawberry jam.
Summer in the City
I grew up in a huge urban city. Summer in the Bronx meant heat, concrete and frozen ice pops. You would always find fresh strawberries on birthday cakes and in strawberry milkshakes. Strawberries were hard to find during the cold winter months. But on the other hand, once the days got longer, strawberries were everywhere. You could find them readily available in supermarkets, in the bodegas and on fruit stands up and down the avenue.
Strawberry Shortcake
When my daughter was born, my mom began calling her Strawberry Shortcake. It came as no surprise to any of us that the strawberry rose to the top of the toddler menu. They were easy to pick up and easy to eat without any help from the adults. She’s nine years old now but I remember the red chunks of fruit in her little chubby hand. Even better, I remember all of the fruit that somehow missed her mouth and landed on her equally chubby cheeks.
Easy as Strawberry Pie
There are many pie recipes out in the world. This one for strawberry pie doesn’t require a lot of skill. All you need are strawberries and a few ingredients to make the magic happen. Choose organic strawberries if you can. Strawberries are number one on EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) list of the Dirty Dozen. Those are the fruits with the highest amount of pesticide residue. You can soak your traditionally grown berries in a solution of vinegar and water if you want to prep them for this dessert. I love ready-made pie crusts. I have zero ego and I’m grateful for the good folks who work tirelessly to ensure that ready-made pie crusts are always available to me. If you happen to love making pie crust from scratch, don’t let me stop you. For the rest of you, get ready to create a beautiful summer memory.
Prepare a 9-inch Ready Made Pie Crust according to package directions and let cool off. (Unless you have time to make your own)
Strawberry Filling
3 cups of Sliced Strawberries
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup of Water + 1 Tbs
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs Corn Starch
The Process
Place strawberries, sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add the tbs of water to the cornstarch and mix in a small bowl. Lastly, when that is well blended, add to your strawberry mixture. Continue to stir and cook on medium heat and the mixture will start to thicken.
Pour mixture into pie crust and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours to ensure that the fruit is set. Garnish with whipped cream, mint or basil.
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LA Dunn is a plant based advocate and a Swedish Fish loyalist. If you have twenty minutes, listen to an episode of The Black Girls Eat Podcast and sign up below for updates, Recipes & Random-ish.
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