Recipe of the Week! Strawberry Pie

There is nothing better than a big, fat, juicy, ripe strawberry on a summer day... This time of year boasts many farms with people scattered here and there with their ice cream pails full to the brim with those tasty morsels. And don't forget about the red stained fingers and lips giving way to tell tale snitching in the patch! Who can resist??

Strawberry pie is about as easy as it comes when dealing with a bumper crop... Using pretty, fresh berries makes a grand statement with a {large} dollop of whipped cream on top.... Sure, we eat the not so pretty ones too, but as a last resort, those usually end up in the jam!

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

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

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.

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.

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.

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.