Strawberry pie

(NAPS) – This is the time of year when those of us who are lucky enough to live in the South, get an early treat of enjoying the sweet taste of strawberries. Whether you eat them right off the vine or in a special summer recipe, strawberries are a favorite for all ages. What better fruit to celebrate the end of the winter doldrums than the luscious, ripe, red strawberry?

Strawberry pie (serves 6)

For the pie:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, plus 18 strawberries
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 prepared frozen 9-inch pie crust, thawed and baked in a tart pan according to package directions

For the decorations:

• 3 ounces white chocolate morsels, red food coloring, orange peel

Making the pie:

Using a knife, carefully hull the strawberries, then slice them in half. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; mix well. Add 2 cups strawberries. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash strawberries coarsely. Add water and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; cool completely. Remove cooled crust from tart pan and spoon berry mixture into crust. Arrange remaining strawberries in concentric circles over the filling.

Making the decorations:

In the top of a double boiler set over simmering, not boiling, water, melt chocolate. Pour onto a cookie sheet and smooth to a 1/8 -inch thickness. Use a toothpick to apply dots of red food coloring over white chocolate, then swirl to achieve a marbled effect. Let cool until chocolate is set, but not hard. Using a cookie cutter, press 3 heart shapes. Refrigerate until chocolate is hard. Remove hearts and place on top of pie. Garnish with orange peel.