Recipe: Strawberry Meyer Lemonade Pie

It’s March here in Seattle, which means clouds, cold, darkness, and rain. The holidays are over to distract you from how cold and dark it is (dark at 4:30! IN THE EVENING!). For the people that manage to escape for a vacation somewhere warm and tropical, that time has passed. So here we are. March. It tries to be spring some days, then the next you have a wind and rain storm that knocks your power out and you almost get stuck outside your apartment building (that’s a story for another day!). Here’s the thing though, I would much prefer it that way, minus the not having a way to get back inside the building without power, of course. Don’t get me wrong, if I could pick warm and sunny I’d do it in a second, but for those who know me, I cannot stand it being cold AND sunny. The sun is just lying, guys. Sun should be warm. Do any of you feel this way? So, if I can’t have sun and warm, my preference is cloudy and rainy to go with the March cold. Which brings me back to this Strawberry Meyer Lemonade Pie. This pie is summer hidden inside of a buttery, flaky pastry. Or–as one may say when originally writing about this pie–my favorite season wrapped in butter.

Sweet strawberries have a dance party with tart meyer lemon zest and sugar, then tucked into soft pie dough and baked until the juices from the strawberries are bubbling and the pie is golden. The best part is that this pie isn’t just for those times when you are longing for any inkling that winter may end. Summer picnics? Absolutely! Dinner party with friends? Perfect! Tuesday evening when you come home from work and decide that you must have pie right that second?** OF COURSE! Post a picture of your Strawberry Meyer Lemonade Pie creations on Instagram using #peonyandinkrecipes!

INGREDIENTS

• Double crust pie dough (I recommend the All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough from Smitten Kitchen)
• 5 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 T meyer lemon zest*
• Juice of one meyer lemon*
• 1 egg

*If meyer lemons are out of season, don’t let that stop you from making this pie! Just substitute any lemon you may have. Except one that has been sitting in the back of your vegetable drawer for long enough that you can’t remember how old it is. I won’t tell you how I know that, you’ll just have to trust me on this one.

**My #1 pie making reason.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make dough according to recipe.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Combine strawberries, zest, and juice in a large bowl.
4. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a smaller bowl and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is mixed in with the sugar.
5. Pour sugar and cornstarch mixture into the large bowl with the strawberries and fold together until all the strawberries are evenly coated. Let strawberries sit while you roll out the pie dough.
6. Layer bottom dough, strawberries, and top dough then crimp the edges to seal.
7. Beat egg in a bowl with a little water and brush top of the pie. Sprinkle with sugar if you’d like! But if you don’t I’m going to wonder what you have against sparkly pies.
8. Place pie on a parchment covered rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes turn oven down to 350° and continue baking for 50 minutes or until pie is golden and juices are bubbling like molten lava.
10. Allow to cool at room temperature while trying not to attack it with a fork. Or go ahead and attack it with a fork, your secret is safe with me.