Summer brings with it certain flavors that you cannot find at any other time of the year: homegrown tomatoes, fresh melons, peaches, and of course, strawberries. When I was a kid I used to go berry picking and end up eating more berries than I brought home. I'm sure if I went berry picking today it would be the same. Strawberries and watermelon are what summer tastes like to me, and this pie is a good way to showcase the beautiful red color of the strawberries for Independence Day.
I brought this pie with me for the Fourth of July celebration at my husband's Aunt Mary's house. They celebrate there every year, but I have always been allowed to bring my leftovers home. Not this year. I was actually booed by the guests when I tried to walk out with the remains of the pie.
Red White and Blue Pie
(makes 2 pies)
Crust:
1 1/2 c gingersnap crumbs
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp sugar
12 tbsp butter
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, divide between two pie pans. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pans with the flat end of a measuring cup. Bake empty crusts at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.
Filling:
(this is so bad for you, but I justify it by saying I'm only going to make this pie once a year.)
3 quarts fresh strawberries
2 tubs of Marzetti's strawberry glaze (I am working on finding a recipe for homemade glaze, so if you have one, please let me know!)
1 cup heavy cream
sugar to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pint of fresh blueberries
Wash the strawberries and blueberries. Trim the stems, leaves, and bad spots from the strawberries. Keep any strawberries with no bad spots separate and cut these in half. Use these nice strawberries on the top of the pie.
Whip the cream until stiff. Add vanilla and sugar to taste. Don't make the cream too sweet or the pie can be overwhelmingly sweet.
Divide the imperfect berries into the two crusts. Arrange the more perfect berries on top of the cut up ones. Pour the glaze on top of the strawberries. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure the glaze covers all of the berries. Pour half of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries and then scatter the blueberries on top of the whipped cream.
