Summer Berries, Shoney’s Strawberry Pie-the affordable luxury

Bright red, inside and out, sweet but not too sweet, strawberries are my objects of desire this time of year.   Many other people share in this early summer berry worship.  Proving this as fact, Taste of the South put this picture of strawberry pie on the cover, knowing that the sight alone will sell magazines to thousands of  us strawberry lovers.

I confess, this photograph caused my heart to flutter! This wasn’t just any pie-it was the Shoney’s Restaurant pie recipe. Within seconds, I was riding a tsunami wave of pie eating memories.

 For those of you north of the Mason-Dixon line, Shoney’s is a southern down- home style restaurant famous for their strawberry pie.

 The recipe also prompted  a phone to my childhood friend Cheryl to talk about eating Shoney’s strawberry pies.   On our trip down memory lane, we recalled how we would scrape together all the spare change in the house and car.  We would buy a whole pie and pass it back and forth with one spoon while driving to a day at the beach.

Every May, the radio ads proclaimed a sale on Shoney’s Strawberry Pies causing our family stampede down to buy, yes a whole pie which came with a  free can of whipped cream.  “How can we pass up a deal like that”? Mother would comment,  nestling  back into the car holding our dessert for the night. You just can’t.  To me, it was as good as a ride on a giant yacht or a big diamond ring because you can’t eat either one of those things.  Yes, it is affordable luxury.

You probably expect me to say that the pie I made from the Taste of South recipe couldn’t compare with the pie I remembered, BUT it did.  It was garnet in color, luxurious in texture, and just like Shoney’s version topped  with whole berries.

I just this morning had a piece of this pie for breakfast, so you know how good it is! I am trying to be a decent mother and save the last piece for my daughter. 

 Below is the recipe with a few minor adjustments. (I never can leave well enough alone, so I adapted the Taste of South recipe in this way; I crushed 1 cup berries and folded them into the gelatin mixture.  I didn’t use the strawberry flavoring because I never could find it. I made a layer of sliced strawberries, but topped the pie with whole berries.

Strawberry Pie

Adapted from Taste of the South Magazine, April 2009

Old Fashioned Pie Dough

Yield one single shell pie crust

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 ½ tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsalted cold butter, diced

2 ½ tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cold water

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Add water, stirring until moistened.  Knead until dough forms a ball, approximately 10 turns.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for one hour.

Remove dough from refrigerator and bring to room temperature.  On a lightly floured surface roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness.  Place dough in 9 inch pie pan, trimming the edge or if desired make a decorative edge. For decorative edge visit:  www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line bottom and sides of pie shell with parchment paper.  Place pie weights on parchment paper.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove pie weights and parchment paper.

Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before adding the filling.

Strawberry Pie

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

1 cup boiling water

1 teaspoon strawberry extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (3oz) package strawberry-flavored gelatin

2 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half **

**Paula’s note, I used about ½ this amount as whole berries.  Placing the sliced berries on the bottom of the pie crust and then covering them with the whole berries.  I thought it made the pie prettier with the berries showing on top of the pie.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, whisking well.  Add boiling water and extracts.  Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, whisking often.  Remove from heat.  Add gelatin, stirring until smooth.  Let mixture cool to room temperature.

Arrange strawberries in baked pie shell. (see Paula’s note). Pour cooled filling over strawberries coating completely.  Refrigerate pie until the filling is set, approximately 2 hours.  Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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