Recipe: Hess's Strawberry Pie

HESS'S STRAWBERRY PIE

8 cups whole fresh strawberries, stems removed; 10-12 additional strawberries with stems attached for garnish
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, divided use
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup water
12 drops red food coloring
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 tsp. vanilla
9 inch baked pie crust

Wash and stem the strawberries. Mix 6 cups of them with 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Let stand for 1 hour.

Cook remaining 2 cups of berries with water until tender and rub through a sieve.

Mix granulated sugar and cornstarch and add to the strained strawberry juice. Cook until clear. Add food coloring. Let mixture cool slightly, stirring occasionally.

Arrange whole berries, stem side down, in the pie shell. Mound the berries in the center of the pie. Pour the cooked berry mixture evenly over the berries in the pie shell. Refrigerate until cold.

Pour whipping cream into cold mixing bowl. Beat cream at medium-high speed until it begins to thicken. On low speed, add the remaining 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Continue to beat until stiff, but fluffy.

Serve whipped cream with pie or, if desired, pipe the whipped cream onto the pie up to 2 hours before serving it. Garnish with whole berries, still attached to their stems. Keep cold until ready to serve.

From: Beverly Galtman of Allentown
Source: Allentown Morning Call, July 2, 2008