Perfect Strawberry Pie

The Perfect Strawberry Pie
Who remembers and loved Shoney’s Strawberry Pie? Well, this recipe is far better, and it’s the perfect dessert for your Mother’s Day celebration. The recipe came from a dear family friend, Ms. Dot Smith, one of the sweetest ladies and best cooks in Brookhaven, Ms. If you’re from Brookhaven, then Ms. Dot may have taught Kindergarten to you, your child, or your grandchild at the First Baptist Church.
Ms. Dot’s been gone for some time now but her recipes live on in many local cookbooks. That’s where I ran across her Strawberry Pie. When I saw her name on the recipe, I knew it would be over the top, and it certainly is!
Some personal preferences
To save time on this recipe, you can always top with Cool Whip and I’m a Cool Whip fan when it comes to saving time. However, when I’m making this Strawberry Pie, I usually take the time to make my whipped topping from scratch. If you’ve never made a homemade whipped topping, here’s a great recipe on “Add a Pinch”, one of my favorite recipe sites.
Also, when it comes to purchasing strawberries, I try my best to buy local. I also like Louisiana strawberries when available in the spring. However, strawberry season is short and most of the time, I purchase them from Kroger or my local grocer. I look for strawberries that are fully red, but check the bottom and avoid the purchase if you see mold or mushy berries. Also, there are holes around the packaging allowing me to smell for sweetness.
Tools of the trade for making Strawberry Pie
Check out this strawberry huller for destemming your strawberries, and it works great on, tomatoes, too.
Also, here’s a slicer that can save a lot of time when slicing strawberries, eggs, and mushrooms.
I hope you and your family enjoy my recipe as much as we do.
No Time 2 Cook owner, Karen Kurr, is passionate about bringing families back to the dinner table. Just like the recipes she shares, No Time 2 Cook products are cooked from scratch and taste like home-made.
Ingredients
1 deep dish frozen pie shell (baked)
1# fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/2 c. water
1/2 T red food coloring
8 oz. cool whip
Or, homemade whipping cream:
1 cup heavy cream
3 T confectioner sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
Find our products in a store near you
Instructions
Bake pie crust according to package directions.
Wash and hull strawberries and divide. Mash half of the strawberries and set aside. Half, quarter, or slice the other half of the strawberries (this depends on the size of your strawberries. If small, you might leave them whole)
Combine mashed strawberries, water, and food coloring in a boiler. Combine sugar and cornstarch together and blend into strawberry mixture. Simmer on medium high heat until clear and thick (about 10 minutes).
Arrange the whole/halved/quartered/sliced strawberries in baked pie shell and pour hot strawberry mixture over the top.
Allow to cool completely, top with cool whip or chilled homemade whipping cream. Chill and keep refrigerated until ready to serve
Homemade whipping cream directions:
Chill stainless bowl and beaters for 20-30 minutes. Combine 1 cup chilled heavy cream, 3 T confectioners sugar, and 1/2 t. pure vanilla in stainless bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Do not over beat as cream will separate and turn to butter. Note: Confectioners sugar is a better choice than granulated sugar as the cornstarch in the confectioners sugar helps to stabilize the whipping cream allowing it to keep for several days in the refrigerator.