Recipe: Fresh strawberry pie

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated for dinner on July 1, 2012.

Makes one nine-inch pie.

Ingredients

3 pounds (about 4 pints) fresh, ripe strawberries

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1½ teaspoons Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes (pink box)

pinch table salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 Baked Pie Shell

Instructions

1. Gently rinse, dry, hull, and trim the berries.
2. Select 6 ounces berries (choose the least attractive).
3. Halve any extra large berries; you should have about 1½ cups.
4. Add the berries to food processor and process to a smooth purée, you should have about ¾ cups.
5. Add sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell, and salt to a medium sauce pan and mix with a whisk.
6. Add berry purée to the sauce pan and mix with a heat proof spatula.
7. Over medium-high heat,  heat the berry mixture to a full boil while stirring constantly.
8. Boil for two minutes. The mixture will darken as it cooks.
9. Transfer to a large bowl, stir in lemon juice, and let cool to room temperature.
10. Measure out 2 pounds of the most attractive berries, halving any that are extra large.
11. Add the berries to the bowl of purée and gently fold them unit the berries are all coated with the jam.
12. Add the berries to the pie shell, arranging them so cut sides are down and there are no large gaps between berries.
13. Chill for two hours and serve with whipped cream.

Some of the berries are cooked into a jam to bind together the berries in the pie.

Boil for two minutes with constant stirring.

Clean two pounds of berries and coat with the purée.

Then add the coated berries to the prepared pie shell and chill.