Good Book

Pie: A Global History, by Janet Clarkson is a rich, savory history of one of the world's oldest and most iconic dishes. Pie plates being, quite literally, the first baking container, virtually all baked goods that weren't bread were known as pie. While winnowing down the definition, Clarkson finds that the first pies-as-we-know-them offered an ingeniously efficient mode for preserving fillings like meat and vegetables. Portability was a bonus feature-workers and travelers have been carrying pies with them at least since Chaucer's time-making them stalwarts for cooks of all skill levels. The book's slim page count belies a wealth of information, including the science of flaky crust, recipes from yesteryear, the real-life inspirations for famous pie lovers like Georgie Porgie and Little Jack Horner, and a brief dissertation on why pie is so delicious

Strawberry Crostata

1 twelve inch STAR DOUGH round
2 pints of strawberries.
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla

Thaw one Star Dough pie crust.

Remove the leafy heads from the strawberries and if they are small enough you won’t have to cut them. However if they are larger than the end of your thumb you might want to cut them in half. Add the sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch and stir it all up. Unroll the 12 inch pie dough onto a parchment line baking sheet. Spoon the filling into the center of the crust leaving about three inches of a crust border all the way around. Don’t feel compelled to include all the juice in the bottom of the bowl as strawberries are already incredibly juicy.

Fold the crust borders over onto the pie, brush them with a light egg wash and sprinkle with a little turbinado (raw sugar) sugar. Slip it into a 375°F oven and bake it for 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then serve. Make it extra special with a scoop of Madagascar Vanilla, by Three Twins Ice Cream . Try it with Tahitian Vanilla, or Sour Cream Ice Cream, by local's favorite Ice cream maker Humphry Slocombe in The Mission.