~ With Recipes for Louisiana Fresh Strawberry Pie & Southern Strawberry Shortcake ~
All across Connecticut, you’ll find 37 farms offering pick-your-own strawberries.
Pesce Farm has a rich history—over 90 years ago, Aldo and Iside Pesce started this farm back in the early 1930s. Today, their son Larry carries on the family tradition, keeping the farm thriving. Spanning 68 acres, the farm isn’t just a local treasure but also a protected piece of Connecticut’s farmland, thanks to partnerships with several government trusts dedicated to preserving these lands. Since 1979, these trusts have safeguarded 404 farms and nearly 48,000 acres, making sure places like Pesce Farm can continue to grow and flourish for generations to come.
Whenever I find fresh strawberries over the years, I tend to make the same recipes as I do not get strawberries often. My Louisiana Fresh Strawberry Pie is one of my favorite recipes and does not last when shared! The other recipe is a Southern Strawberry Shortcake that is a sour cream pound cake with strawberries. This cake is wonderful just by itself but when you add the fresh strawberries on top, you have created a delightful fruit masterpiece!
Louisiana Fresh Strawberry Pie
1-quart fresh strawberries
3/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Fresh whipping cream
1 – 9 inch pastry pie crust (bought or homemade)
Bake the pastry pie crust. Reserve 1 cup of the berries for glaze then cut the remaining strawberries into fourths placing them in a large bowl. In a blender, combine the 1 cup berries, 3/4 cup water, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice until well pureed. Simmer on medium heat while constantly stirring until mixture is thickened. Cool for a few minutes then pour over the remaining berries. Finally, place the berry mixture into the pie crust and chill. Top with fresh whipped cream before serving.
Southern Strawberry Shortcake
Fresh Strawberries for Shortcake
4 cups strawberries, sliced
6 Tablespoons sugar
Place strawberries in Ziplock gallon size bag then sprinkle sugar on berries. Mix the sugar with berries well with a spoon then place the bag in refrigerator a few hours before serving to let the syrup form.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
1 cup butter
3 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
6 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 oz. sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Beat eggs whites until stiff adding 1/2 cup sugar slowly. Cream butter and 2 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy then add egg yolks. Combine the dry ingredients and blend into egg mixture by alternating dry ingredients and sour cream until blended well. Fold in egg whites and pour battle into Bundt cake pan. Bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until done.
Assemble as follows:
Place a piece of sliced cake on serving dish then top with fresh strawberries and whipping cream. Serve immediately.
Food can evoke sweet memories of the past in a special way. Certain foods now can remind me of my childhood and other special times in my life. Since I was a young child, I have loved strawberries in the summertime! My grandmother would cut up fresh strawberries; then add a little milk; sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on top; and finally stir it until mixed well. Although she is sadly now gone, many things bring back fond memories of her such as eating fresh strawberries!
