This summer, I love…

1. Hanging out with a blogging bud.
2. Eating my way through Los Angeles with formerly mentioned blogging bud
3. Anything related to the World Cup matches
4. Watching one of your favorite teams win the World Cup (Go Spain!)
5. Drooling over Eric and the other boytoys on “True Blood”
6. Donald Draper.
7. These brown wedges.
8. Listening to these fine gentlemen.
9. Enjoying pitchers of fresh sangria with my lovely friends
10. Reading this, this, and this.
11. Playing Guitar Hero at my best friend’s newly purchased home.
12. Week-long “Words With Friends” marathons.
13. Baking this fresh strawberry pie.

All Fresh Strawberry Pie
Origin: “Pie: 300 tried-and-true recipes for delicious pie” by Ken Haedrich
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour + 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 to 65 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
● 1 recipe All-Butter Pastry, double crust, refrigerated

Filling:
● 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
● 1/2 cup sugar
● 2 tbsp cornstarch
● 1 tbsp creme de menthe, (optional)
● 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
● 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
● 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut in to small pieces

Glaze:
● sugar
● milk or light cream

Directions:
Prepare the pastry and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about one hour.

On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Put the strawberries in a large bowl. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl, then add the mixture to the fruit and toss well. Add the creme de menthe (if using), lemon juice, nutmeg, and toss again. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

On another sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the other half of the pastry into an 11-inch circle. Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the fruit with a spoon. Dot the top with the butter. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell. Invert the top pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge.

Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge. Poke several stream vents in the top of the pie with a fork or paring knife. Put a couple of the vents neat the edge of the crust so you can check the juices there later. Sprinkle the top crust evenly with sugar, then milk.

Place the pie on the center of the oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any drips. Bake until the juices bubble thickly at the steam vents and the tip is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. If the top of the pie starts to get too dark, cover it with loosely tented aluminum foil during the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours to let the juices settle and firm up before serving.