blog 18...... recipe 15

So I had the birthday, and as hoped for a camera was wrapped up in a bow. It was a lovely birthday, nothing too over the top, a just right kind of day. "What did I have for dinner?" Well, thank you for asking. A new Peruvian place opened up not too far away, and I've been interested in trying it. So we go and they were still without power 5 days after the hurricane. (side note....I had called the day prior and they were up and running, so something went wrong in a 24 hour period) No problem, there is a local bar/restaurant along  the way so we'll just go there. Lo and behold it was a 40 minute wait. ( picture in your mind the dinkiest place around your neighborhood with a 40 minute wait...hot and sweaty too, and you've got the picture) Ok...I say let's hit that Chinese place that I've been interested in going to. Noooo, the sign on the door says "Opening on Thursday". Hey, let's go to the diner.  So a burger and a glass of wine was the Bday meal. I was with Dear family so all in all it was a swell night.

Dear friend gave me a subscription to food network magazine. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-magazine/package/index.html  The pictures are so inviting. This was the first time that I had ever flipped through it, and I was really glad I did. So this is not a cookbook, but it is a resource. The July/August issue (page 175), has a beautiful photo of  Emiril Lagasse's Strawberry Crumb Pie. I decided to check it out.

For the crust:

1 stick cold unsalted butter

3 ounces cold cream cheese

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting ( I didn't need any extra, it rolled out fine)

pinch of salt

For the crumb topping:

3/4 cup rolled oatmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the filling:

2 pounds hulled quartered strawberries (I would think mixed berries or stone fruits would be nice as well)

1/2 cup sugar

 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

 2/1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest (forgot to pick the orange up so I just poured a shot of carton OJ)

1. Make the crust. Combine the butter and cream cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour and salt and process just until the mixture comes together into a ball. Scrape out the dough, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: combine the oatmeal, flour and sugar in a small bowl and toss to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate the topping until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working on  a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick and fit into a 9-10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom (you can use a springboard pan) (I used a pie plate as my springboard had sprung, Dear husband fixed it though!!) Trim the excess dough. Return the pie crust to the fridge for 20 minutes. Line the crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until lightly golden, about 18 minutes. Remove foil and weights and let crust cool on wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 375.

4. Making the filling: toss the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and orange zest in a mixing bowl. Spoon the strawberry filling into the crust and spread the crumb topping evenly over the berries. Bake in the middle of oven for 1 hour, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust and topping are golden brown. transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature before serving.