MAVIS Wilson’s Fresh Strawberry Pie
Submitted by: Lindsay / Vancouver, BC, Canada
Who passed this recipe down to you? My Nana
Recipe origin: British Columbia
How old is this recipe? At least 70 years old
The story behind the recipe:
My Nana, Vera Isabelle Disbrow (Brown), grew up in small-town Saskatchewan but eventually settled with my Grandpa in Victoria, BC. Although she passed away when I was 15, I remember her as a very sweet, elegant woman who always wore perfume and drank her coffee from a china teacup. My strongest memories of her cooking were the potato soup she made when I was sick (I thought it was miraculous she could just whip up potato soup from scratch!) and the buttered ‘toast soldiers’ she served us with slices of cheddar for breakfast. Just a few months ago, my aunt passed along her red recipe tin for me to safeguard, and I’ve pored over the handwritten recipe cards countless times since. A recipe for “Fresh Strawberry Pie” from her neighbour Mavis Wilson stood out, so I gave it a try. It’s a keeper!
The recipe:
Mavis Wilson's Fresh Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
- 1 blind-baked pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
- 1.5 quarts (approximately 615 grams / 6 cups) strawberries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
- Wash and hull the strawberries. After reserving a few of the nicest berries for garnish, slice half the remaining berries into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Using a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the rest of the strawberries, then add them to a medium pot and mix in the sugar and cornstarch. Stirring regularly (preferably with a silicon spatula), bring the berry mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat a bit and stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and the cornstarch is totally dissolved. Add the lemon juice and mix well, then remove from the heat and let cool about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining strawberries, then pour the mixture into the blind-baked pie shell and smooth the top. Garnish with reserved berries, then chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before serving with dollops of softly-whipped cream on top.
- Because of the jammy nature of this pie, it’s best consumed the day it’s made; that said, strawberry pie with a slightly soggy crust still makes the perfect breakfast!