baked: strawberry pie

Over the last few weeks the berries have come into full effect, much to the chagrin of pie crusts everywhere. By now, strawberry season is over (I may be incorrect, but I believe they make another cameo in a couple of weeks.) U-Pick at Oldfield Orchard is a lovely way to spend a day in the sun with friends and you save a couple of bucks while working on your farmer's tan.
On our first visit, we went a little crazy and spent a cumulative eighty dollars on strawberries and raspberries, not including the Oldfield's very own strawberry pie. Not only was the pie so good that we ate it with our hands (seriously!), I had to run home and give it a try at home.

Now it just so happens that several years ago, I made a list of Thirty Things To Do Before I am Thirty and mastering the pie crust (without a food processor (that feels like cheating. And I don't have one.)) was one of them. With one of Cook's Illustrated's many "Best of..." compendiums in my left hand and a trusty Good Grips Pastry Cutter (recommended for the comfy handle) in the other, I mashed away.
I made a few friends my guinea pigs to my pie and they all had lovely things to say about it. The secret? Maybe beginner's luck, maybe the touch of vodka in the dough. Either way, I feel like I can cross that one off my list!

The only thing I would have done differently about this: blind bake the crust. Strawberries covered in strawberry syrup is soggy stuff.

Note: Sorry about the crummy photos. I will have to make a light box come fall!