Conference turris::cooks

    
    This Strawberry Pie is the BEST....
    
    
    When we go to Bar Harbar Maine, we always stop in at Testa's.  The same
    family owns it.  They are in Palm Beach for the winter then when the 
    warm weather comes, they all, the owners, waitresses and waiters come up 
    to Maine till Labor day.
    
    Mike
    

    I made this on Sunday, and it was terrific.  I will change the recipe
    as follows the next time I make it:

    	Use a little more than a quart of strawberries
    	Use 2/3 strawberries in the pie, 1/3 in the mixture
    	Add a drop or two of red food coloring to the mixture
    	Use slightly less corn starch

    The pie came out great using the recipe in .0   These changes are for
    my personal preferences to not have the mixture so jelled, to have the
    mixture be redder (as opposed to the pink it was) in color, and to have
    much more fresh strawberries to bite into.
    
    Thanks for posting it here!

    
    
    This recipe also works well with blueberries.  And made with
    *raspberries*, it'll knock your socks off!
    
    /Brian/

    
    My two dinner guests (strawberry lovers) and myself (not 
    a strawberry lover) all enjoyed this pie last night.  It's
    delicious!  I used 1 1/2 quarts of strawberries, but then
    many of them didn't make it into the pie.  :-)  The glaze
    ended up a maroonish color.  I wonder why .3 (sorry, I forgot
    your name) ended up with a pinkish color.

    One question...don't laugh too hard, okay?  Is this pie
    normally served warm or cold?  The directions say to keep
    the mixture in a double boiler "until ready to use".  Is that
    while the rest is being prepared or until ready to serve?
    I don't know much about fruit pies ('cept for apple), so I 
    let the strawberry lovers decide.  

    Ann-Marie

    
    RE:-1
    
    We put the pie in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
    
    Mike
    

    Another vote for this pie!
    I'm my own worst cooking critic, and even *I* was impressed.
    Needless to say, my friends loved it as well.
    I refrigerated the pie, but took it out for a while before serving it.
    The whipped cream is definitely the "icing on the cake"!
    I put it on by the slice, rather than on the whole pie at once.
    Sad to say, it's all gone (with the weekend).
    

    This pie is a winner!  I'd make it again and again!  (and if *I* can
    make it, it must be easy!)
    
    Definitely better than strawberry shortcake.......  Thanks for posting
    it.
    
    Cara

    I made this pie on Friday evening for my church fellowship and I
    definitely did something wrong.  It did not jell and I had marble like
    red lumps that you could break a tooth on.  I was not too happy, but
    then even the best of cooks have failures once in a while, I think.
    Any guesses on what when wrong.  I may never try it again. -;( sigh
    
    Flo 

    
    Oh, come on. Try it again.  And this time, dissolve the corn starch in
    a little cold water before you add it to the hot liquid.  It won't
    lump and your teeth will thank you. 
    
    Mike

    Thanks for the advise Mike.  I will try it again.
    
    Flo

    
    I've made this pie several times, and it is delicious.  I've
    encountered the cornstarch lumps, and have tried dissolving the 
    cornstarch in water first with poor results also.  What I've found
    works the best for me anyways, is to sift the cup of sugar together
    with the cornstarch.  I then add this in small amounts while stirring
    it in with a wire whisk to dissolve it.  This is how I made the pie 
    yesterday, and it was by far the best yet.   Also, if you're concerned
    about fat intake, you can omit the butter/margarine and this pie will
    still be superb.  We've decided that this pie is also better if you use
    smaller strawberries instead of the larger type.  I usually add enough
    whole strawberries to fill the pie crust to the top edge before adding the
    cooked strawberries.  This takes slightly more than a quart of berries
    as called for in the recipe.
    
    Regards, Larry

Can anyone give me an idea of what "1 quart" means in UK terms??


Thanks


Aly

    	I made this pie last Friday night and I must agree with everyone
    else, it is great.  I am going to make a couple of changes to it to
    suit my tastes though.  I went strawberry picking 2 Sundays ago, and I
    picked 10 quarts of which I froze 8, ate 1, and left the other quart
    for this pie.  Well, I decided that 1 quart wasn't enough since I knew
    that all the strawberries wouldn't make it into the pie, so I thawed
    out a pint more.  The strawberries that I froze were sliced up, but as
    we all know after thawing there is quite a bit of juice there.  Well, I
    placed the sliced berries in the crust, but I think that I should have
    drained off the juice and used that in the cooked mixture because I
    think that it made the crust slightly soggy.  So my changes would be as
    follows:
    
    		1) If using frozen strawberries, drain off liquid first
    		2) Use more strawberries (about 1 1/2 quart)
    		3) Use sliced strawberries for the crust part
    		4) I will also try the sifting sugar and corn starch
    together because I had the same problem with the corn starch lumps
    		5) Cook the mixture for the full 25 minutes because it
    didn't appear to jell up as much as I thought that it would, but
    perhaps it's because the corn starch wasn't mixed thoroughly enough
    		6) After putting the cooked mixture on, let the pie cool
    enough to put in the refrigerator, then cool it before serving.
    
    	This pie is out of this world.  Great and thanks to the base noter
    for putting it into this file.

    RE:.12, for practical purposes, 1 qt = .9 liters should be pretty good.
    A few berries more or less don't make a huge difference [but more is
    usually better. :-)]
    
    Of course there are some notes in here that go to painfully
    excruciating detail to explain the measurement system, some of them are
    even correct.
    
    ed

RE: 11 and 13......

I made this pie a few weeks ago and it was GREAT!!! Actually I used the 
recipe in the Betty Crocker book as a guide since I wasn't sure HOW to put
the strawberries in the pie (sliced ,whole ??).

Here is my variation:

1) I used the same glaze recipe as noted here, however I used a butter cookie
   crust (Keebler makes it and it comes in the baking section next to the
   graham crusts).  I baked it for 5 or 10 minutes as directed.

2) I took one notes advice and used about 1/2 cup (probably a lil more) 
   strawberries for the glaze.  I spread some of the glaze all over the crust
   bottom and sides. Then I put one layer of berries (stem side down) all around
   and then put half of the remaining glaze over.  Then I put another layer of
   berries on top (again stem side down) and put the remaining glaze on....
    Fridgerated for a few hours and served!!

I should note I use almost 2 quarts of fresh strawberries but it was scrumptious!

Also I had no problem with clumping cornstarch...I mixed it right into the sugar
and then added the sugar and it was fine!

Thanks for the recipe!!!!!

for the cornstarch....if you make a paste of the cornstarch with cold water..
and then gradually add more cold water to the desired amount - AND THEN start
cooking the mixture over a low/med. heat, you will never get lumps.  The
secret is to make a paste first, and to use COLD water/liquid to mix the
starch and heat after the mixture is smooth.

    Sounds like quite a few folks had strawberry pie this weekend...we
    did too.
    
    Like everyone else, I made a few changes too:
    
    o  Since my pie crust comes out like lead I used a graham
       cracker crust.
    o  Used about 1.5 quarts of berries.
    o  Sliced the ones going into the crust.
    o  Used about 1/3 of the berries for the glaze.
    
    I didn't have any trouble with the cornstarch, I put it in a small
    jar with a little water and shakeshakeshake until the lumps are gone.
    Works like magic every time.
    
    The next time (which will probably be this weekend....my berry
    patch looks like it needs picking again) I think I'll try a
    chocolate crumb crust and drizzle some chocolate on top!
    
    Conni
    
    

    I'm not sure the liquid quart corresponds to the dry measure quart used
    in reference to strawberries.  

    Oh, I'm sure it doesn't.  However, it is close enough, isn't it?  And
    considering all of the statements to the effect that "I made this
    with 1.5 qts" or "I made this with 2 qts" and the fact that buying
    a qt of strawberries seems to be this little plastic container
    heaped over the top, I don't think there's anything near an
    accurate measure that's important in this case.
    
    ed
    

    
    	Count me in as another who has made this pie. In fact, I made it
    last night and had some for breakfast (I'm pregnant and have some
    pretty strange requests for breakfast, at least the pie is better than
    the salami sandwiches I was having there for awhile).
    
    	In any event, it is quite delightful. The only modification I made
    was to add a few teaspoons of lime juice to the glaze mixture. I'm not
    fond of really sweet pies and almost always add lemon or lime juice to
    fruit pies just to cut the sweetness.
    
    				Wendy

    I made this last night, since I planned to bring it to a friend's house
    over the weekend as a "congratulations on your new house" offering, so
    I figured I'd better test it first.  Delicious!  However, I wasn't
    sure, like previously mentioned, whether the berries should be haled,
    chopped, or whole!  So, I compromised...left the best looking, ripest
    ones for the pie, and sliced the others for the glaze.  Is this
    generally the correct method?  I put the nice ones in whole (tried to
    keep them uniform in size for the sake of ease of serving), stem size
    down.  I know this is a "presentation" nit, but I really want this to
    be nice.  Should I have sliced those that went into the glaze portion?
    Seemed logical, since they should break down a bit to add flavor to the
    sugar-water?
    Sarah
    

    I have had this recipe for about 15 years and made it many times.  It
    is delicious.  I always put whole strawberries, stem side down, in the
    pie crust.  This looks pretty with the glaze over it.  For the glaze I
    crush the less attractive berries and add them to the glaze.  I also
    use more berries than the recipe calls for.  I think I used 1 1/2
    quarts all together.  So I don't have anything you could identify as a
    berry in the glaze.  
    
    I also garnish it with whipped cream.
    
    Mary Lou

    
    re: .21
    
     I believe that the _original_ recipe left all the berries whole and
    intact.  However, I don't think it matters whether you chop, slice,
    or whatever, as long as the berries go into the pie in the end. It
    sounds like a good idea to slice the berries up for the glaze. I think
    your compromise sounds acceptable to me.  Offer me a slice, and I will
    be glad to give you my opinion :^)
    
    Larry
    

    I made this pie exactly as per the instructions in .0.  I read the
    instructions to include 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, not 3 teaspoons. 
    I continued cooking the glaze on medium-high, since it did not say to
    lower the temperature.   I refrigerated the pie before serving.
    
    I plan to make some changes for next time, as described below.
    
    The glaze turned quickly into a thick gel after adding the cornstarch. 
    I removed it from the heat 7 minutes after adding the cornstarch/sugar
    because it was scorching on the bottom.  My husband and I feel the
    glaze is much too thick, and also too sweet.
    
    a) I will reduce the cornstarch A LOT - probably to a few teaspoons.  On
    the cornstarch box it tells the ratio of starch:water.  I will check
    this before cooking, to make a medium sauce.  BTW, cornstarch sauces
    thicken when chilled.
      
    b)  I plan to reduce the amount of sugar by about half, depending on the 
    sweetness of the berries.
    
    c)  As the earlier replies stated, I'll use about 50% more berries than
    stated.
    
    d)  After adding the cornstarch sifted with sugar, I'll lower the heat
    to simmer.  (NOTE: to prevent lumps, stir like crazy at this point.)
    
    e)  As an eariler reply stated, I will reduce the butter.  For 1 cup of
    water and a few teaspoons of cornstarch, very little fat is needed to
    thicken the sauce and make it taste rich; probably 2 tablespoons at
    most.
    
    f) I will probably add a squirt of citrus juice - lemon or lime - to
    counteract the sweetness.
    
    I think this recipe will be good with the changes described above. 
    BTW, I used the Keebler butter cookie crust which was very good, if a
    bit over-sweet.  I like the whipped cream to be unsweetened with this.  
    
    To me, while it'll look nice, it's still not a match for classic
    strawberry shortcake made with a sweetened, cream-enriched biscuit
    dough.  I use James Beard's recipe for shortcake.  I like the wetness
    of the sliced berries against the dry/rich biscuit with the wet/rich
    whipped cream (only to soft peaks) on top.  Yummm.
    
    Laura  

    
    Use whipped cream in place of the egg whites or you'll be sorry.
    
    Mike--who had never heard of anyone getting salmonella until he 
    foolishly tasted cake batter.  It isn't pretty, and it isn't worth it. 

    What?   Can you share what you're talking about?  I don't know if the
    recipe was entered wrong or if I am going to die from Salmonella.  And
    I eat cake batter all the time, absolutely love the stuff.  
    
    Some people eat other things just as strange but with me it's cake and
    cookie batters.
    
    

    
    There's a long string of notes in here somewhere that detail the
    danger of getting salmonella from raw/undercooked chicken and eggs.
    For a while I thought the risk was exagerrated.  That was until I
    tasted cake batter that had raw eggs beaten into it. I got sick, and 
    it was salmonella.  I, too, like cake batter and cookie dough,
    but have learned (the hard way) not to taste before baking.  
    
    The recipe in .25 calls for uncooked meringue. You'll risk getting
    salmonella poisoning if you make it per the recipe.  
    
    BTW, chances are good you won't die if you get salmonella poisoning,
    but for a while death is a viable alternative. 
    
    Mike  
                                                                

  Does anyone know the odds of getting salmonella?  Like, how many eggs
out of a thousand are contaminated?  I eat cookie batter and cake batter
and brownie batter all the time....I'm aware of the potential risk, but
most of us just shrug it off.  

  I made homemade mayonnaise last weekend, and gave my husband a verbal
disclaimer - "By the way, if you eat this mayo, you're risking salmonella
poisoning."  

  And, I wonder what the liabilities are if you serve something like
homemade mayo to your guests, and they end up with salmonella poisoning?

--Sharon

    
    I really don't mean to rathole this topic, but the Atlanta Journal 
    recently ran a major series on chicken processing, and they claim that 
    85% of all chicken is contaminated with salmonella.  Presumably the
    contamination rate for eggs is similar. 
    
    The article also noted that processing plant inspectors only buy whole
    chickens. 
    
    I only mention this because I, too, used to just shrug it off. By all
    means, eat whatever you want.  But be aware of the risk.  (And don't
    give anything with raw eggs in it to a kid--salmonella _can_ kill
    them.)
    
    Mike 

    And to take this raw batter thing farther down the rathole....
    
    What about Ben and Jerry's ice cream?  The feature flavor that's
    out now is "chocolate chip cookie batter" (which is *wonderful*).
    It's uncooked cookie batter chunks in vanilla ice cream.  I hate
    to admit how many pints we've gone through...are we risking food
    poisoning or does the cold temperature change things?
    
    Conni
    

    Back to the pie, I have an offering that fits into this category.  It's
    a cold pie and it's delicious any time of the year.
    
    Directions:
    
    Make a pie crust for the bottom only (use your favorite recipe, but
    don't make it a graham-cracker, fancy-type crust ...) and bake for
    about 10 minutes; just until golden.  Remove from oven and cool.
    
    Meanwhile, empty one can of tart, pitted cherries (hard to find, but
    Alexander's has them) and pour them (liquid, too) into a saucepan.  Add
    one c. sugar, 3 tsp. cornstarch, one tsp. almond extract, and cook over
    medium-high heat until bubbling; simmer for one minute, remove from
    heat and add 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tbs. butter.  Cool.
    
    Meanwhile, slice enough firm bananas (not mushy) to line the bottom of
    your now-cooled crust.  When cherry mixture is room temperature, pour
    over bananas and chill at least four hours.  Top with whipped cream. 
    This pie will definitely NOT last more than one day.
    

    What is the best way to freeze strawberries?  I swear there was a note
    in here somewhere but I've check out all the strawberry notes as well
    as freezing notes....  
    
    Should one slice strawberries before freezing?  They will be used later
    for such items as pies, muffins, vinegars, etc.

    A method I've heard of recently to freeze strawberries is to leave them
    whole and freeze them on cookie sheets.  When frozen,
    bag/wrap/whatever.

    I tried freezing strawberries for the first time last year.  I got a
    tip from (of all places) Hilltop where I purchased them at 99� per
    quart.  They told me that if I wanted them for shortcakes and pies, to
    rinse and hull them and then slice them.  Place them in a zip-lock bag
    and add about 2 tblsp of lemon juice to them.
    
    I was amazed that they retained their original bright red color and
    that the lemon did not add it's flavor to them.  I pulled them out for
    snowmobile trips this winter and they were the hit of several trips!
    
    Dana
    

    I've been making this Strawberry Pie for over 4 years now, and love it.
    Last week, we went vacationing in Maine and were in Bar Harbor for a 
    couple of days. So...I thought I'd go to the "home" of this pie and
    sample Testa's own Strawberry Pie to see how close mine tasted to the
    original. Imagine my surprise when I found Testa's a distant second!
    
    Their's:
      1. contained large whole strawberries (not bad)
      2. was very Red in color
      3. was too sweet (it tasted like the red stuff outside a candied apple)
      4. only had a dollop of whipped cream on top.
    
    So, although I was disappointed, I was also happy that mine (or should
    I say *our* recipe) was better!
    
    Anyhow, the mystery is over. For any of you out there who have baked
    this pie, don't waste your time trying Testa's. You can also steer
    clear of what they call apple crisp.
    
    Roger