Donna's Healthy Living Tips

A week ago was my dad’s birthday and I toyed with the idea of making a pie but my day got busy and I decided rather than stress myself over making a pie I would wait.  Well the thought of a pie just kept noodling around in my head so by the weekend I knew a pie was in my future and I had settled on strawberry, having never made a strawberry pie before.  It just sounded good!

I already knew what piecrust I was going to use based on previous experience, the “Rich Cornmeal Piecrust” from Jacqueline Mallorca’s “The Wheat-Free Cook” I just had to figure out what to do for the filling.  I’m not a big fan of gelatin so I skipped all the recipes in my cookbooks that suggested it and instead settled on one of my favorite cookbooks, Betty Crocker (the classic one with the red cover).  The main difference was that I was using frozen whole strawberries and she (I always think of the cookbook as one woman’s creation although I know otherwise) is starting with fresh whole strawberries.

I used frozen strawberries because they are reasonably priced and organic.  I understand that strawberries are sometime pretty heavily sprayed and I haven’t managed to find an organic strawberry farm (if you know of one…let me know please!).  So I started by thawing three bags of frozen, whole, organic strawberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I prepared the crust by combining in the food processor:

• 1/2 cup stoneground cornmeal (if coarse-ground, put in food processor by itself for a minute or two to make less coarse)
• 1 cup sweet white rice flour (I just use whatever white rice flour I have in my fridge)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar (omit if using the piecrust for a pot pie or other savory dish)
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Pulse to combine together.  Then add:

• 12 Tablespoons butter, cut in small cubes (1 1/2 sticks) – the butter should be cold and just pulled from the fridge, don’t use at room temp!

Pulse until the butter is dispearsed and small lumps are created.  Then add:

• 1 large egg

Process briefly to mix then add:

• 1 Tablespoon ice cold water and process
• repeat (or use smaller quantities of water) until there is a ball of dough that barely clings together.

NOTE: Ms. Mallorca makes this recipe sound like it will only take 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of water to make the dough stick together.  I find it takes more like 5 or 6 Tablespoons.  Go sparingly and see what works for you.  My dough still barely sticks together and there are still lots of crumbs when I pour it out of the processor.

Place a couple sheets of plastic wrap on the counter and pour out dough. 

Form dough into one solid lump and separate into two equal parts.

Set one part aside.

Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough that is on the counter.

Use your rolling pin on the dough (sandwiched between the plastic wrap)  to roll out to the proper size for your pie plate.  You might be surprized how well this works.  If it gets sticky, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to get cold again.  This dough works better if it is cold.

Peel the top layer of plastic wrap off the pastry.

Turn the pastry upside-down on your pie plate.

Peel off the backside of the plastic wrap (set aside to use to roll out the other piece).

Repair the crust and fix the edges (usually no water is required to fix, just mash the pieces together).

Use a fork to poke holes in the crust.

Bake until lightly golden brown.  (I’m sorry I didn’t time it becuase I was working on the filling at the same time, I just kept an eye on it.  It was probably about 15-20 minutes.)

NOTE: Because this recipe is a single-crust pie, I take the second lump of dough and roll it out like the first one.  Instead of putting it in a pie plate, however, I roll it loosely into a tube shape, tuck the plastic wrap ends in, and place it in the freezer so I have an extra pie crust for the next time I have a hankering for a pie. 

Strawberry pie filling (by Betty Crocker)

Mash strawberries to equal 1 cup (I used a fork in my Pyrex measuring cup).

In a saucepan, combine:

• 3/4 cup sugar (they said 1 cup, I bet you could use even less)
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Then add:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup mashed strawberries

Put on medium heat and stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken (mine never bubbled although they said it should) and stir for one minute more after thickening begins.

Allow to cool for about 5 – 10 minutes.

Combine mixture with thawed strawberries then pour into prepared crust.

Put in fridge to finish setting (unless you are eager like me and need to finish the next step and then try a bite before it has finished setting up).

REAL Whipped Cream (skip all the artifical ones and cans that can’t be recycled…do yourself a favor and make it the old-fashioned way, a snap if you have an electric mixer (hand or stand).

Pour one small carton of “real whipping cream” into a bowl (glass or stainless steel).

Add 1 – 2 Tablespoons sweetener (I use organic cane sugar most of the time for this purpose)

Beat until peaks begin to form (five minutes or less).

Either serve on the side or spread across the entire pie (my favorite).

Enjoy your treat!  The piecrust in the freezer is earmarked for some of the black raspberries that are in season…something else I have never made!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who has been gluten-free for close to five years now.  She enjoys trying new recipes and sharing tips on living a healthy lifestyle on her blog.  To find gluten-free supplements go to: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland (not all are gluten-free, consult with Donna).  If you are looking for a specific gluten-free recipe, feel free to make a request.