Fresh Strawberry Pie

Find a you-pick farm and gather your own strawberries or stock-up at your local farmer's market. This pie requires eight cups of berries so you'll need to have plenty on-hand.

Ingredients:

• Crust:
• 50 reduced-calorie vanilla wafers
• 1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• Cooking spray
• Filling:
• 2 cups ripe strawberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 6 cups small ripe strawberries
• 1/2 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed and divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare crust, place wafers in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Add butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and orange rind, and pulse 10 times or just until wafers are moist. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
3. To prepare filling, mash 2 cups strawberries with a potato masher. Combine mashed strawberries and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the strawberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl, and reserve 1 cup strawberry liquid (add enough water to measure 1 cup, if necessary). Discard pulp.
4. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in a pan; add strawberry liquid, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.
5. Arrange a layer of small strawberries, stem sides down, in the crust. Spoon about one-third of sauce over the strawberries. Arrange the remaining strawberries on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over the strawberries. Chill for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped topping.

Cooking Light
APRIL 2000