Pressed Butter Crust ~ page 266

This is not your standard pie crust. It taste more like a thin shorbread than the usual flaky pastry crust. For certain recipes, it really works well. I like to use it on this fresh strawberry pie. As you see, you can't crimp the edges on this pressed crust, but with this pie, the strawberries are the star anyway so a pretty edge did not seem to matter so much.

Process your butter in the food processor or cut it in by hand with a pastry blender. Don't leave some larger butter clumps like you do on standard pasty crusts though. Process till the butter is blended completely.

Dump the flour, butter, and sugar mixture in your pie dish, and let it just sit for a few minutes till your butter is warmed to room temperature. If you try to press it out while the butter is still cold, it wont hold together. Press up the sides as high as you think your pie filling will go.

I baked my crust till it was just beginning to brown. It will smell heavenly at this point!

This part is not in the cookbook--so here is a freebe for you! 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 
  Directions

1. Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving.

This pie is SO delicious. The buttery crust is a very important part of what makes it so good. David and I both ate a big slice, then looked at each other and agreed that this pie is so light, refreshing, and wonderful, we could easily each eat half the pie in one sitting! But we restrained ourselves.