By Nicole Taylor
- Total Time
- 4 hours, plus 2 hours' cooling
- Rating
- 4(777)
- Notes
- Read community notes
On Juneteenth, which celebrates the abolition of slavery in the United States, the picnic table overflows with summertime pies and red foods, a symbol of perseverance. That makes this festive strawberry slab pie ideal for Juneteenth, though it’d be welcome anytime in berry season. The rectangular pie is made in a quarter sheet pan; if you don't have one, use a comparably sized casserole dish. Cracked black pepper in the crust and fresh ginger in the filling add a bit of spice. This isn't an especially sugary dessert, so if you want something sweeter, top it with vanilla ice cream.
Featured in: The Rich Food Tradition of Juneteenth
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Ingredients
Yield:12 to 16 servings
- 2½cups plus 2 tablespoons/360 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
- 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1cup/226 grams cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into ½-inch cubes, plus more for buttering the pan
- ¾cup/177 milliliters ice water
- 2tablespoons buttermilk
- 3pounds/1.3 kilograms fresh strawberries, small berries cut in half and larger berries cut in quarters (see note)
- 3 to 4tablespoons/40 grams loosely packed dark brown sugar, depending on how sweet your berries are
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- ½teaspoon grapefruit zest
- 1½teaspoons grapefruit juice
- ½teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛teaspoon coarse kosher salt
For the Crust
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
333 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 159 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the crust: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, the salt and the pepper. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour until the largest pieces of butter are the size of lentils.
Step
2
Sprinkle ice water over dough a tablespoon at a time, stirring and scooping the dough with your hands as you go to incorporate the water, until the dough just begins to adhere and you can gather it into an imperfect ball. (You may not need all the water.) Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap and press into a disk. Wrap tightly and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step
3
Lightly butter a quarter sheet pan with a 1-inch rim, including the top edge of the rim, and set aside. (Quarter sheet pans are usually 8 by 11 inches or 9 by 12 inches, depending on the manufacturer.)
Step
4
Lightly flour a large work surface, a rolling pin and the dough. Roll the chilled dough into an ⅛-inch-thick rectangle. From that, cut a rectangle three inches bigger than the dimensions of your pan on each side (i.e., an 11-by-14-inch rectangle for an 8-by-11-inch pan, or a 12-by-15-inch rectangle for a 9-by-12-inch pan). Reserve the extra dough.
Step
5
Gently press the dough rectangle into the quarter sheet pan, trimming excess dough at the edges. The dough should go all the way up and over the top edge of the pan, if possible. Transfer pan to refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
Step
6
Meanwhile, line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out reserved dough to ¼- to ⅛-inch thickness. Using 1- and 2-inch biscuit cutters, cut out about 30 circles of different sizes (or use all one size if you prefer), rerolling dough as necessary. Transfer circles to parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate.
Step
7
Make the filling: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Set aside for about an hour, while crust chills.
Step
8
Heat oven to 375 degrees. When oven is hot, paint some of the buttermilk on the edges of the pie crust. Transfer berry mixture to crust, patting the berries down into a roughly even layer. Place pan on a larger baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step
9
Paint buttermilk over reserved pastry circles and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon granulated sugar. Place circles all over the bubbling berries. Continue baking pie until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, an additional 50 to 60 minutes.
Step
10
Run a small knife around the edge of the pie while it's warm. Transfer the pie in its quarter sheet pan to a wire rack. Let cool for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving from the pan.
Tip
- Use smaller, fresh farm strawberries rather than conventional supermarket berries, if possible. The farm berries release less juice, which makes for a less runny filling.
Ratings
4
out of 5
777
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Cooking Notes
Leslye Borden
What size is a quarter sheet pan? 9x13? 2 qt?
Daddy
Quite a delicious recipe! My only advice:
I would aim high on the brown sugar. 4-5 tablespoons, instead of the 3-4 recommended.
I doubled the amount of ginger, which was lovely.
I added 4 tablespoons of Eddie's Grapefruit Vodka to the strawberry filing. It added just the right flavor and edge to it.
MargefromTN
From step 3... Quarter sheet pans are usually 8 by 11 inches or 9 by 12 inches, depending on the manufacturer.)
Diane
9x13. Had to google it: The full-size sheet pan is 26 by 18 in (66 by 46 cm), which is too large for most home ovens. A two thirds sheet pan (also referred to as a three quarter size sheet pan) is 21 by 15 in (53 by 38 cm). A half sheet pan is 18 by 13 in (46 by 33 cm); quarter sheets are 9 by 13 in (23 by 33 cm).
Sheet pan - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_pan
Connie
Lightly butter a quarter sheet pan with a 1-inch rim, including the top edge of the rim, and set aside. (Quarter sheet pans are usually 8 by 11 inches or 9 by 12 inches, depending on the manufacturer.)
becaru
Although I was glad to see this billed as not oversweet, I'd call that an understatement. It either needs more sweetener, or needs to be served with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Barbara
Two questions
#1 question is about substituting another Citrus for the grapefruit?Could I use lemon or lime instead?
#2 question is: how about lining the pan with parchment paper? I would like to lift it for serving & presentation on a big cutting board.
Kris
It's only a little zest and juice; I would feel comfortable subbing lemon, lime, or orange. There is no reason you couldn't line with parchment, but once you cut it, it might release the filling and be a mess. I would keep it in the pan.
tammy
Perfection. Home-made strawberry ice cream added a sweetness that complimented the pie which is not very sweet at all. Loved the pastry - wonderfully flaky and the bursts of black pepper are a great wake-up call. I found that I only have to bake for 30 minutes more after adding the top crust, and that I had to tin-foil over the bottom's edges after the first half hour. I'll be baking this all strawberry season!
Darby Bagwell
I’ve been reading recipes for half a century. This is the first one I’ve ever encountered that calls for loosely packed brown sugar. I had to read it twice :)
K
I had great hopes for this -- the pepper in the crust, the grapefruit zest and ginger in the strawberries -- but the end result was surprisingly bland.
Karla
It says in step 3 - 8x11 or 9x12 depending on the manufacturer.
I'm making one this afternoon with our strawberry festival haul...can't wait!
AnnieLes
I have yet to find a good store bought pie crust, even from the fancy purveyors. And the regular grocery store crusts taste so off to me I can't eat them at all.
localyolkel
Quarter sheet panning a 9"x13"
Richard
Yes... like the recipe suggests.
kz
I made this in a 9x12 parchment lined pyrex and the bake turned out well. I used frozen strawberries and 1/3 frozen rhubarb - added the frozen fruit with the filling dry ingredients and then let the fruit thaw before baking. The grapefruit flavor is fantastic, but the filling is on the tart side.
kniterati
Ixnay on the apefruitgray. Profoundly allergic. What to substitute? Lemon and cranberry? Hibiscus?
Golem
Instead of the pastry crust in the recipe, I used puff pastry by DuFors (best - found it at Whole Foods) and Pillsbury (good also - found everywhere). It makes for a great pie and even better decorative circles since they puff up. And it's a lot less work.
robin
I made this and it really needed more sugar. I read the comments before baking and I did increase the sugar but it could have used even more, and I am not a fan of overly sweet things.
Kate L.
Father's Day weekend and Juneteenth in Texas. I made this exactly as written except that I used star-shaped cutters for the top crust "circles," and I used sparkling white sugar. My grandgirls loved it and asked for a redux for July 4!
Joe
I would think that frozen strawberries could be substituted? I’ve been using frozen fruit in place of fresh more of late as it is cheaper and still tastes amazing.
Alice
This pie is incredibly good. It’s a little trouble to roll out such a large piece of dough (my pan is 9X14) but there was plenty. Otherwise it’s easy. I had put the dough in the freezer overnight. I followed the recipe exactly, only decreased the pepper a little because I was afraid the kids wouldn’t like it but next time I’ll add the full amount. Served it with vanilla and chocolate ice cream. A fantastic way to celebrate Juneteenth while seeing family again after the pandemic.
Darby Bagwell
I’ve been reading recipes for half a century. This is the first one I’ve ever encountered that calls for loosely packed brown sugar. I had to read it twice :)
Johanna
What does one do to substitute for 2 TBS of Buttermilk? I cannot even find full fat buttermilk in any market and the light is tasteless to me. Suggestions?
Fay
Milk plus lemon juice. 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice - let it sit for a few minutes to thicken and curdle.
Jubilee
Since I had to use grocery store berries, and for added sugar, I added a thin layer of pound cake to soak up to extra liquids. I also switched the citrus to lemon since I didn't have grapefruit. Delicious! Now, where's my whipped cream for a bonus indulgence? :)
Ellen
cooking time total of an hour and a half seems excessive? What have you found?
Judy Bee
I agree that most store bought crusts are ho hum. However Trader Joe's frozen pie crust is pretty darn good.
sarahgrace
This is delicious! Really pleased with the result. As other commenters recommended I added more brown sugar to the filling- did about 5 loosely packed tablespoons. It was still tart in the end, and I thought just the right amount of sweetness. We are it with vanilla ice cream but it would’ve also been good with whipped cream. Can’t wait to make this again, it was a hit!!
Make ahead of time — advice?
Can any parts of this be made in advance? I’d like to do some of the initial steps two nights before and finish up the rest the day before our dinner. Where would you divide the labor?
Jean
Strawberries lose everything but sourness and seeds when cooked. Need to cook part of the berries enough with the corn starch, etc, to thicken, cool, mix in with the rest of the raw berries. Then add to prebaked crust. I know, that’s not the recipe here....
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