Fresh strawberry pie

Method

1. Crust

   In a bowl combine butter and sugar. Blend to make a paste. Add Yolk and blend thoroughly. Add flour using your fingers, blending to make crumbly dough. Do not overwork. Pat firmly into a 9” pie pan. Let it rest in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Remove pie from refrigerator and prick bottom of the crust with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper large enough to overhang covering the entire pie pan. Fill to the top with pie weights or beans; make sure pie weights are evenly distributed. Bake crust in preheated 400 degrees oven for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper with pie weights. Cover crust edges with foil and bake another 3 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 2 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

2. Glaze

   In a small bowl mash enough strawberries to make ¾ cup of strawberries. In a non-stick saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in ½ cup of water and mash strawberries (optional add 2-3 drops of food colouring if a deeper red colour is desired). Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens; cool completely about 35 minutes.

3. Filling

   In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of glaze filling until smooth. Spread evenly at the bottom of the pie crust. Line one row of fresh cut strawberries covering the cream cheese mixture. In a large bowl combine the rest of the glaze filling and cut strawberries, distributing glaze evenly over the strawberries. Arrange strawberry mixture in the crust, placing in the centre of the pie crust working towards the outer edges. Chill for 2-3 hours before serving.

4. Whipped cream

   In a small bowl beat 1 ½ cups of whip cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form. Serve each piece of strawberry pie with a dollop of whipped cream.