Strawberry Picking at Von Thun Farms

It’s strawberry picking season, everybody…. Why is it that fruit you picked yourself always tastes better than any other kind?

Last weekend we visited Von Thun Farms on their “Kids Day,” conveniently timed the day before Mother’s Day so you can pick up plenty of flowers and vegetable seedlings for Mom. The sun was shining, the chickens were clucking, and we picked a lot of strawberries.

The next day I baked a strawberry custard pie. The recipe is below the pictures.

Strawberry Custard Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 baked pie crust

1 pint washed and dried fresh strawberries, trimmed of leaves

2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

5 large egg yolks

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp confectioner’s sugar

Combine the milk and about half the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until they are pale and form a ribbon when dropped from the beater, about 5 minutes. Sift the flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently until blended.

Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, stirring, then return to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, whisking vigorously, for 2 minutes. Strain into a mixing bowl and mix in vanilla extract. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream to prevent formation of a skin. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least one hour.

Pour cooled cream into baked pie crust. Place strawberries upside down into the cream (fit as many into the crust as possible). Sift confectioner’s sugar over top.

 

Rustic Apple Pie (When You Don’t Have Time for Fancy Crust)

As many of you know, I love to bake. But I am also a very busy person. Perhaps that is why I’ve always been more inclined toward rustic-style cakes and tarts rather than fancy decorated pastries. Many “country” baked goods are relatively quick to make — and I think they taste better, too. Maybe that’s just in my head. But hey, my family doesn’t complain.

[-Janna]

Rustic Apple Pie Recipe

What makes this pie quick and easy is its free-form crust — you just roll a rough circle, plop the apples in the middle, and fold the edges over. Done!

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chilled butter

1/4 cup ice water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put flour and salt in bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly to mix. Chop butter into 1/2 inch cubes and drop into food processor. Process briefly until the butter is about the size of peas. Add about half the ice water and process briefly. Add about half the remaining ice water and process briefly again. Add the final quantity of ice water and process again. Test the dough be pressing a clump together with your fingertips. If it holds together easily, it is done. If it is still dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of water and process again.

Dump the dough onto a work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten the ball, fold over, turn, and repeat the flattening and folding about four or five times. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest.

Apple Filling 

6 peeled, thinly sliced apples

1 tbsp apple juice

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp unbleached flour

1 tbsp tapioca

1 tsp cinnamon

Toss the apple slices with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Apple Pie

Remove the pie dough from the plastic wrap and place on work surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and roll out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thickness. Carefully transfer the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Pile the apples into the middle of the dough and press them gently toward the edges, leaving an edge of at least three inches. Fold over the edges — don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle.

Bake for about one hour, until the apples are tender.