Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is good. Like, real good. Messy, I'll admit, but worth it. Simple, too. Oh, and it's pretty!

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Adapted from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2005
Judy Watson, Newmarket, Ontario

2 pints fresh strawberries
1 pastry shell [9 in.], baked
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
5-6 drops red food coloring, optional
Reduced-fat whipped topping

Set aside approximately 1 c. strawberries. Arrange remaining berries in pie shell. With a fork, mash reserved 1 c. strawberries; set aside.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and water; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add mashed strawberries and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into strawberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for up to 2 minutes until thickened [mine thickened almost immediately, just FYI.] Stir in food coloring if desired. Cool for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon over strawberries in crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with whipped topping. Yield: 8 servings.The original recipe calls for 3 pints plus 1 c. of strawberries, but to be honest, I'm not sure what'd I'd have done with all the extra berries. I used the 2 pints I had on hand and that seemed like the perfect amount. I suppose I could have mashed up a few more for the cooked mixture, but I don't feel like I shorted myself at all using only 2 pints.

This pie definitely didn't hold it's shape when it was taken out of the pie plate, but that's not a huge thing for me. As long as it tastes good --- that's more what I'm all about. I'm sure I'll make this again during the summer months. Enjoy!

P.S. Today I discovered that Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap topic is summer recipes. This is really the epitome of summer for me as I used to picked fresh strawberries every year with my grandparents when I was young. That's how you knew summer was really here. For more great summer recipes, check out her site!