My Grandmother’s Strawberry Custard Pie is the easiest pie to make and it’s perfect for Spring. I made this pie for our Palm Sunday Easter Lunch at church. It’s finally spring and even though strawberries aren’t technically in season just yet, our store had some gorgeous strawberries that I couldn’t resist. I love this pie, it reminds me of family time on our farm with my grandparents. Every spring, they would go to Patterson Farms and buy strawberries by the ton. She would freeze lots of them and make strawberry jelly. But, she’d also make this pie. It’s the simplest pie in the world to make and it’s rustic because you just can’t mess it up and it’s even better the next day after being in the fridge and eaten cold. I could eat it for breakfast and I have! What really surprised me at church, was several people came and asked me what type of pie it was and when I told them, they got so excited! Each one told me they thought that was what it was and each had a story of how their grandmother used to make one and they hadn’t had one in years. It always amazes me how food can stir up so many memories. For me, it was like having my grandmother with me again and I’m so glad that it brought joyful memories for them, too. Here’s my step by step and then below is the recipe.
Slice strawberries into thin slices about 1/8″ if you want to be really technical, otherwise, just slice them. It doesn’t have to perfect!
Pre-bake your pie crust, also called blind baking. Prick holes in the crust with a fork so it doesn’t get puffy. Some people do the pie beans, but we are dirt farmers, so we just poke it and it works just fine.
Stir some sugar in with your sliced strawberries. This will bring out even more sweetness. I used about 1/8 cup of sugar. Use less if they are already very sweet, use more if they are tart. Stir the sugar in and give them a taste. Let it sit while the crust pre-bakes and you make the custard.
Eggs, sugar, flour and salt. What a perfect combination! Stir with a hand whisk, but don’t be rough. You just need it mixed together and do not use a mixer.
Finished pre-baked crust. Don’t let it get too brown, you want it just like this one. See! The fork prick technique works perfectly!
Place pies on top of a cooling rack in a lined pan so that any spillover will drip down into the pan. No more sticky, messy pie pans and an easier cleanup.
Done! Isn’t it pretty? Allow to cool completely before eating. This gives the custard time to set. You know it’s done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Ingredients
fresh strawberries thinly sliced (as many as you want)
9″ pie shells
3 eggs
1/4 cup of sugar to sprinkle on strawberries (I used 1/2 of it because my strawberries were very sweet)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 cups of whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prick pie shell and slightly bake for 10 minutes being careful not to let it get overdone. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-size bowl, use a hand whisk to mix eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. Do not over mix! Add vanilla and milk and mix lightly. Put strawberries in the pie shell or mix into the custard base. Pour custard over strawberries and fill the pie shell. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a cooling/baking rack before serving. Store in the refrigerator. It’s really good cold!
Options: You can use cherries! I was able to get two 9″ pies from the recipe because I used 1 pound of strawberries, so if you use fewer strawberries, you may only get one pie. If you use a deep dish pie crust you may only get one pie. You can also use light cream mixed in with the milk. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you have super sweet strawberries. For a sparkly topping, sprinkle with a little bit of sugar.
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