The fun of having “too many” vintage cookbooks is that I can try out similar recipes from different sources. Last April, I took Strawberry Petal Pie with me to Easter dinner at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. In July, I made strawberry pie using a recipe from my World War II era Betty Crocker cookbook. Last week I made strawberry pie using a recipe from my 1939 United States Regional Cookbook. It was from the Mississippi Valley section.
Based on my very anecdotal evidence of perusing my cookbooks for strawberry pie recipes, it doesn’t seem like strawberry pies with pastry were very popular before World War II. In fact, the recipe I’m sharing with you today is actually a cherry pie recipe with notations at the end of the recipe on how to make it with other fruits. “Strawberry pie–use washed and hulled strawberries instead of cherries and add 2 teaspoons lemon juice.”
I’m going to share the recipe with you but I have to admit that, as you can see from the photo, it was very runny and the lemon juice made it just a tad too tart. That said, we did manage to eat the entire pie within a few days!
Strawberry Pie variation of a Cherry Pie recipe
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 quart washed and hulled strawberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Mix sugar, flour, and salt together. Mix with strawberries. Add lemon juice and pour into a pie plate which has been lined with pastry. Cover top with pastry and press edges together. Prick top to allow steam to escape. Bake in a very hot oven (450* F.) for 10 minutes, then reduce to moderate (350*F.) and bake 25 minutes longer.
I only have one cookbook: The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Farmer. What else can a girl need? Oh, and my other cookbook is the internet.