I really just could not wait to share this recipe with you. Can you blame me? Even right now as I am writing this, my heart is pitter-pattering just thinking about this lovely, juicy, sunny strawberry pie.
So, its really no secret that I have been obsessed with fresh, in-season berries. I just can't get enough of them; when I see them at the farmer's market, their beautiful, bright faces just seem to whisper, "Take me home with you..." And of course I am a more than happy to oblige them. If if wasn't for the fact that berries are packed with antioxidants, this might be an unhealthy obsession. Lucky for me, I can even bake strawberries into a pie and call it healthy.
I decided to make this pie as a submission for a contest put on by Ms. Humble from Not So Humble Pie. I LOVE her blog, and it is definitely close to the top of my list of favorites. She has a wonderful voice when she speaks about her baked goods, and every single one of her dessert creations seems like the food equivalent of a runway model with a mellow soul: gorgeous enough to be straight off the page of a magazine, but not so pretentious that it is unapproachable. Everything Ms. Humble shares always makes my mouth water, my tummy rumble, and all those sweet tastebuds on my tongue scream for attention. And it certainly doesn't hurt that she was a scientist in a former life.
I am not really sure how popular Strawberry Pie is out on the west coast, but growing up in the Midwest we had strawberry pie all the time. It is really popular in a lot of homestyle diners, and is always heaping with strawberries and served with a big dollop of whipped cream. I wanted to replicate that here, but with more of a California feel to it.
So to make this a California strawberry pie, I used local strawberries and I also included some mandarin segments in the filling. As I mentioned, strawberries are in season here, and I always get mine from the local farmers market. The strawberries they sell are outstanding, and they are picked in Carlsbad, which is just about 15 minutes north of where I live. Also around this time of year, you can also buy bags of these adorable little California mandarins. They are so tiny, that they would just fit in the center of your cupped hand (maybe a little bigger than a golf ball). On the bag they always call them "California Cuties," and it seems appropriate; everything is cuter in mini-size. Like the strawberries, these mandarins are sooo sweet and juicy, so it is a perfect pairing for this pie.
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