Strawberry Balsamic Basil Pie
Recipe type: Nicole-Cooking for Keeps
 
Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 ½ cups vegetable shortening cut into small piece
  • 6 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
  • 5-7 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 tablespoon cold vodka
  • Filling:
  • 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if they are large)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
  1. For the crust:
  2. Whisk flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.
  3. Add pieces of shortening and butter into the flour, evenly distribute pieces. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly. (There should be a mixture of course meal and shortening and butter that is the size of small peas)
  4. Start by adding in five tablespoons of ice water and vodka. Stir to combine, if the dough is not coming together add more ice water. It’s ok if the mixture is slightly crumbly still.
  5. Divide dough into two even pieces and form into round discs.
  6. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. When ready to roll dough out, flour a large surface.
  7. Remove one disc from the fridge and roll dough out to the size of your pie pan. Carefully transfer to a greased pie dish. After you pour the filling into the crust, remove other disc from fridge. In the same manor, roll out dough. Cut into even ½ inch strips, you’ll need 12.
  8. Now, it’s time to lattice. Place one strip horizontally at the top of your pie. Place six strips on top of the first horizontal strip, vertically. Pull back every other vertical strip, and then place another horizontal strip on top. Bring strips back down. Pull back the opposite three vertical strips you pulled back before, lay another horizontal strip back down. Repeat process until there are six horizontal strips and six vertical strips, woven in and out. Crimp pie edges. Note: For a great visual tutorial on lattice crusts, see Smitten Kitchen
  9. Filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine strawberries, sugars, salt, vinegar basil and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Pour into prepared crust. Top with lattice. See above.
  10. Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes, then turn the heat down to 375 and bake another 35 minutes.
Recipe by Cooking for Keeps at https://www.cookingforkeeps.com/strawberry-balsamic-basil-pie/