A Very Special Guest Post: Strawberry Basil Pie

 A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the Bourbon and Pie party we went to to celebrate our good buddy Jason’s birthday.  Well, Jason is the kind of guy that makes not one but two pies for his own birthday party!  I loved his strawberry basil pie so much, that I asked if he’d do me the honor of writing a guest post so we could all enjoy his recipe.  So without further adieu, I’ll let you hear from the baker/birthday boy (and recent groom!!!) 

I love July for many reasons: Independence Day, my birthday, and my wife and I just got married on July 18th.  Any of these reasons are an excellent excuse to have a gathering with friends.  However a party in July can be bitter sweet (or rather bitter heat!) in Washington, D.C. and sometimes you want to do more than just the typical barbecue.  With this in mind, we threw “Bourbon and Pie: A Party in July” in hopes that mint juleps, old fashioneds and pies would provide us the appropriate fuel to “party on!”

Beating the heat can be tough, and I never thought a pie could be refreshing and light enough to help me enjoy a brutally hot day in our Nation’s capital.  However, the recipe below delivers a sweet respite that tantalizes your taste buds and helps the rest of you forget about the drudgery of the DMV dog days.  For the assistance of an extra cool down companion, I recommend serving the pie a la mode on an especially hot day – it’s delicious!

Strawberry Basil Pie

From First Prize Pies

For the Pie Crust

• 3 cups unbleached flour (chilled)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (freeze butter in advance)
• 1/4 cup rendered leaf lard OR additional butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or any light colored, mild vinegar)

Mix all dry ingredients (flour through salt) together thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, mix milk and vinegar and set aside for now. Cube the butter, add to dry ingredients, and mix until butter is throughout the mixture in clumps approximately the size of peas.  While mixing dry ingredients and butter, add in milk and vinegar. Mix ingredients long enough to moisten all of dry ingredients, but not long enough to melt the butter. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out half of the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter.  Transfer it to a 9 inch pie plate.  Trim crust overhang to 1 inch, reserving the extra dough; refrigerate extra dough and crust.

For the Pie Filling

• 8 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (cut large berries into smaller pieces)
• 10 large fresh basil leaves, julienned
• 3 tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Egg wash or milk for glaze
• Raw sugar for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Mix strawberries, basil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon zest in very large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, pepper and salt.  Add to strawberry mixture, making sure to coat strawberries.
4. Take the extra dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out into a circle and cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch wide strips.
5. Take the pie plate that has the unbaked crust in it out of the refrigerator, put strawberry mixture in the pie plate, and lay strips of dough over the filling to make a lattice.
6. Crimp the edge into whatever patter you would like, brush crust with egg wash or milk, and sprinkle raw sugar on top of the pie.
7. Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake it for 20 minutes, turning it once halfway through. Lower the temperature to 350F and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes more, until crust is golden and fully baked and the juices have thickened.  This pie can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months!

Johanna