12576 Makes one 8- to 10-inch single-crust pie Wed Aug 06 07:35:14 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 10:37:34 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12576 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:37:34 GMT Bubby's makes this stunning open-faced pie every June to show off flavor-packed fresh strawberries at their best. A small portion of the berries is cooked down to make a flavorful, deep ruby sauce to glaze the rest of the fresh berries. The resulting taste is bright and intensely lovely next to the dark Chocolate Crumb Crust, especially when served with homemade ice cream or a dollop of homemade Crème Fraîche (page 303). This is a really good way to showcase fresh local strawberries when they're available.

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One day in advance, make the Crème Fraîche. At least 2 hours before assembling the pie, make the crust and chill.

To Make the Glaze: Put the strawberries (use any especially ugly ones here in the sauce), Cointreau, and zest in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and then mash the berries with the back of a spoon (if you want a more refined sauce, you can purée it at this point). Simmer the mixture on low, uncovered, for 15 minutes more, until the sauce resembles a saucy jam.

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk in the water gradually until smooth. Add this to the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, simmering over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes until it is boiling very lightly. When the opacity goes out of the sauce, and it looks shiny and steamy, remove it from the heat and whisk in the vinegar and salt. Chill the sauce until it is cool to the touch but not cold. (The temperature is important—the fresh strawberries will release lots of juice if they contact a hot or even warm sauce, and you'll get strawberry soup, not strawberry pie. If the sauce gets overly cold, it's hard to fold in the berries.)

Clean and trim the strawberries (if they are small, leave them whole; if they are large, halve or quarter them). Fold them into the cool sauce and pour it all into the chilled crust. The consistency will be quite thick. Chill for 2 hours to let it set up before serving.

Serve the pie cold with Crème Fraîche. This pie is best the day it is made, but can still be served the next day. Keep it refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap.

]]> http://www.chow.com Ron Silver and Jen Bervin 50 Main 1 recipe Chocolate Crumb Crust, chilled in pie tin (page 41)

]]> Crème Fraîche (page 303)]]> 2 cups ripe strawberries

]]> 3 tablespoons Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or fresh-squeezed orange juice

]]> 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

]]> ⅓ cup sugar

]]> 3 tablespoons cornstarch

]]> 1 cup water

]]> 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

]]> Pinch salt

]]> 4 cups ripe but firm strawberries

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