Allow me to share a complete kitchen screw-up: I dug my Grandma’s recipe for fresh strawberry pie out of my file and gathered all the ingredients to make the strawberry pie glaze. I hadn’t made the recipe in awhile, and Grandma’s recipes are notoriously vague, so I wasn’t sure how long to cook the glaze.
I cooked and stirred … for about 15 minutes (OK, 20) … at which point I realized that the glaze had gone beyond glaze and was entering a different dimension. The stuff was thicker than caramel, and it cooled into something akin to Portland cement. Cleaning the pan and whisk was a herculean chore.
Realizing I’d grossly overcooked the glaze, I went to the internet and found similar recipes that called for a much shorter cooking time. I remade the glaze, marking an appropriate note on Grandma’s recipe for future reference. And rest assured that the cooking time below is accurate!
glazed fresh strawberry pie
1 baked 9-inch pie shell (use my fool-proof pie dough recipe or my no-roll pie dough recipe)
3 pints (about 6 cups) fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
several drops red food coloring
Place the strawberries in a large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together the orange juice, sugar, cornstarch and red food coloring. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Cook until the mixture thickens and turns translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let the glaze cool. Pour the glaze over the berries and toss to coat, then transfer them to the baked pie shell. Serve with whipped cream.
Yum! Brings back memories of my mother’s and grandmother’s pies!