Orange zest and fresh strawberries add brightness to Alton Brown's frozen pie filling, a make-ahead recipe for juicy pies any time of year.

Course: Sweets

Keyword: Baking, Desserts, Frozen Strawberry Pie, Fruit, Hacks, Make-Ahead, Summer

Frozen Strawberry Pie

Name: Frozen Strawberry Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 4 cups strawberries; 1/2 cups sugar; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; 5 tablespoons tapioca flour; 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice; 1 teaspoon orange zest; 2 (9-inch) pie doughs, homemade or store-bought; 1 large egg yolk whisked with 1 teaspoon water

ACTIVE TIME: 20

TOTAL TIME: 2 10

Yield: 8 servings

Orange juice and zest brighten up fresh strawberries in this make-ahead fruit pie filling.

So, why freeze the filling? Longevity for one. You can make up a few of these when strawberries are in season and bake tasty pies through the winter when other folks are paying seven bucks a pint (ha, suckers)!

Freezing also produces very small ice crystals in the fruit that break up the cell structure so that when the berries thaw, they give up considerable amounts of juice, thus creating the sauce of the pie. This technique works beautifully with other summer fruits like blueberries and peaches.

Both U.S. standard and metric measurements are listed, but for consistent results, go metric.

This recipe first appeared on altonbrown.com.

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4 cups strawberries
1/2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 (9-inch) pie doughs, homemade or store-bought
1 large egg yolk whisked with 1 teaspoon water

Specialized Hardware

Digital kitchen scale

Pizza Cutter

ACTIVE TIME: 20

TOTAL TIME: 2 10

Yield: 8 servings

Procedure

Wash the berries and pat dry. Mash up half of the strawberries in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and tapioca flour. Add the mashed strawberries, orange juice and orange zest and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Fold in the whole berries.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with aluminum foil. Place the strawberry mixture into the foil and place in the freezer until solid, 6 to 8 hours.
Once the filling is frozen, remove from the aluminum foil and wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To bake: Heat oven to 325°F.
Unroll first piece of dough and place into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the dough reaches to the lip of the pie pan. Trim excess, if necessary. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and set aside.
Unroll second piece of dough and cut into 1 1/8-inch-wide strips using a pizza cutter or sharp paring knife; you should end up with 9 to 10 strips.
Remove the frozen pie filling from the freezer and place into the prepared dough in the pan.
Build your lattice by laying 4 to 5 strips of dough in horizontal stripes across the top of the pie. Weave the remaining strips vertically into the horizontal strips, creating a basket-weave lattice. Crimp around the edge with a fork. If you refrigerated the lattice beforehand, place on top of the pie and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before continuing.
Lightly brush the edge of the crust with the egg yolk and place pie on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake until the pie bubbles around the edges, about 1 hour 15 minutes
Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.