Summer Strawberry Pie (Soy, Fish, Nut, Egg and Milk-Free, Can Be Wheat-Free)

Nothing says summertime to me like strawberry pie!  It's sweet, bright flavors are just wonderful and perfect for any summery occasion.  This particular pie is a variation on my Triple Berry Pie and is soy-free (if you use all soy-free ingredients), fish, nut, milk and egg-free and can be wheat-free (see variations).  Yummy and allergy-friendly to boot!  Win-win!

Summer Strawberry Pie

Crust portion (9-inch):

1/2 Cup soy-free flour

1/4 Cup lard

up to 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 Cup icy cold water

1.  Preheat oven to 475^oF.
      
2. In a medium bowl, cut lard into flour and salt until crumbly. (Note: I use 2 knives, but you can use a pastry cutter.  Amount of salt you use is based on preference.)
       
3. Add the icy water and stir with a fork until moistened.  (Note: I fill a bowl with water and ice and then measure off the water that I need.  If you find that 1/8 Cup isn't quite enough water to moisten all the flour/lard mixture, you can add a teaspoon more at a time as needed.)
       
4. Turn out onto lightly-floured surface.
       
5. Form dough into a smooth ball.
      
6. Flatten dough slightly and roll out to fit your 9-inch pie pan. (Note: Make sure that you flour the rolling pin, too, or it will stick to it.)
     
7. After placing crust into pan, poke holes into the bottom and sides using a fork, and bake for 10 minutes until crust is lightly browned; remove crust from oven (You can turn off the oven, too - you won't need it after this.) and allow to cool completely.

Filling Portion:

1 Cup sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 Cup water

1 Cup mashed fresh strawberries

(That's 1 Cup AFTER mashing, about 2 Cups BEFORE mashing.)

3 Cups more fresh strawberries, sliced

1. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan.

2. Gradually stir the water and the mashed strawberries into the sugar mixture. (Note: Make sure that the liquids are incorporated completely before heating the mixture so you don't get lumps.  Berries MUST be fresh!  Frozen berries cause too much moisture and mess up the consistency.)

3. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils (rolling boil).

4. Boil and stir mixture 1 minute; allow to cool. (It doesn't have to be cold to proceed to the next step, but it at least should be cool enough to touch; lukewarm.)

5. Fill cool baked pie crust with the 3 Cups sliced strawberries. (Note: Strawberries MUST be fresh! Frozen berries lead to a mushy mess.)

6. Pour cooled cooked strawberry glaze over the berries and refrigerate about 3 hours or until set.

Sure is pretty, isn't it?  I love how glossy the glaze looks!

Variations (Please keep your individual allergen needs in mind when using substitutions/variations):

• Wheat/Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free crust for the pie crust.
      
• No Lard: If you are totally against lard, you can use butter (dairy or non), coconut oil or shortening (Spectrum or Earth Balance products would be great here) in place of it.
     
• Different Crust: If you want to use another type of crust or your own personal crust recipe, please feel free. :)  This pie is great with a graham cracker crust, too.  It would also be good with a nut crust.  Have fun experimenting! :)
    
• Different/More Fruit: You can always just use more than one type of berry (see my Triple Berry Pie recipe) or you can add more strawberries - as long as you don't overflow the pie crust, you can use as many berries as you want. :)  You can also sub blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, pitted cherries or any combination of those for the strawberries.  If you make this pie with blueberry, cherry or peach, I recommend adding a teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon in with the sugar and cornstarch before you make the filling.  If you use more than one type of fruit in the pie, still only use one type of fruit to make the glaze for the prettiest effect.
     
• Dress It Up: If you can have it, you can always add sweetened whipped cream or ice cream on top of individual servings if you wish.

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)