Strawberry Pie (Italian Crostata Americana alle Fragole)

Strawberry pie, or American strawberry tart. You know by now that I come from the United States and therefore every now and then I like to offer you these typically overseas sweets. This time I want to offer you the Strawberry pie, a "seasonal" version, that is, with strawberries. The pie can be prepared with many different fillings, both sweet and savoury, but with fresh fruit it is truly fantastic. It is what in Italy is always referred to as "Grandma Duck's cake". The shell is made of shortcrust pastry, filled with fresh strawberries, sugar and flour to thicken. Unfortunately, in the United States, many ready-made preparations and bases are now used, with unhealthy hydrogenated fats. But grandmothers once used butter, which makes the dough particularly crumbly. In particular, the brisè must be processed as little as possible, indeed the butter should not be completely mixed with the flour. Butter and water must be very cold. It is precisely the bits of butter, not completely mixed with the flour, that give the crust that particular "flaky" appearance. Some recommend cutting the butter into small pieces and placing it in the freezer for 15 minutes before using it.

Pastry:
flour 00 (360 g)
butter, very cold (250 g)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
6-8 Tbsp. water, ice cold

Filling:
fresh strawberries (800 g)
sugar (200 g)
flour (60 g)
1 pinch ground cinnamon
butter

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

For the Shortcrust Pastry:
Quickly mix the butter and flour, preferably with a kneader, K whisk. Alternatively, using your fingertips, rub the butter with the flour until small crumbs are formed.

Add the salt and mix by adding 6 Tbsp. of cold water. If that's not enough, add another 1 or 2 Tbsp. This operation must be done with the mixer or with your hands, working the dough as little as possible, better if the butter does not mix completely.

Once the dough is formed, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the Filling:
Cut the strawberries into not too small pieces. Add the sugar, flour and cinnamon.

After resting, resume the dough and with the help of the flour, roll out half of it with a rolling pin.

With this line a greased tart pan or lined with baking paper. The typical pan to use would be the one that is not too low, with a slightly flared edge.

Then fill with strawberries, add a few flakes of butter and cover with the rest of the dough rolled out in the same way.

Seal the edges well by pinching them and make cuts on the surface or a chimney in the center.

Bake in a preheated oven for at least 1 hour.

Once out of the oven, do not remove it from the pan as you risk breaking it. It can be enjoyed cold or even lukewarm.