Documenting the Quarantine ed. 6: Stress + Strawberry Pie

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When I was in labor with Tatum, I could feel his head trying to come out, but his head was sort of too big for the chute and I was sweating so hard that anything touching my skin made it feel like it was burning and I cried to the nurse I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE and she was pretty much like, SAME, BOO. But we gotta persevere. Because keeping that baby in your belly is not a legitimate Plan B right now.

I've thought a lot about that time particularly during quarantine. This too shall pass, but sometimes it doesn't pass through the chutes we want it to, with the ease we hope it will. We're strong enough for this, but this is very, very intense. Like everyone I know, I have wanted an exit hatch from this madness at every turn. I want to go out to eat and not oscillate between wearing a mask and sipping through a straw. I want to hug my friend’s children. I want to go sit in a dark movie theater and eat so much popcorn and not give a single thought to catching the ‘rona from the bathroom/reclining seats/doorknobs/air molecules we breathe. History reminds us that it rhymes, and right now this great unknown is rhyming with other great wars, depressions, and other epochs whose ending was always indefinite to those wandering through.

July has been hot and filling me with homesickness. I miss seeing my family in the summer and eating fish tacos on their back patios and swimming in their pools. I am trying to cultivate a rich outdoor life but it has been stupid humid here, so mostly I bop around to different beaches where the dog can splash and boop the noses of other dogs. I feel stressed that the kids are stressed and I’m learning my codependence on their moods is really unhealthy. I am working on this.

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It’s pretty much too hot everywhere to turn on an oven, but we did find a lot of joy in picking strawberries last month, and I adapted a strawberry pie recipe to make it gluten free, so I’ll share it here.

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Gluten Free Crust:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups (184g) King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon flax meal

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, cold

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • 1 drop cinnamon essential oil

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a 9" pie pan.

  2. Whisk together the flour or flour blend, sugar, flaxmeal and salt.

  3. Cut the cold butter into pats, then kneed the pats into the flour mixture until it's crumbly

  4. Whisk the egg and vinegar or lemon juice together until very foamy. Mix into the dry ingredients. Add drop cinnamon essential oil. Stir until the mixture holds together, adding 1 to 3 additional tablespoons cold water if necessary.

  5. Shape into ball and refrigerate for an hour, or up to overnight.

  6. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.

  7. Roll out on a piece of plastic wrap/ silicone rolling mat. Invert the crust into the prepared pie pan.

  8. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the pie with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown. Allow to cool.

  9. Fill with pie filling:

Strawberry Pie Filling

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin

  • 6 cups sliced fresh strawberries

  • Whipped cream, optional

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Refrigerate until slightly cooled, 15-20 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, arrange strawberries in the crust. Pour gelatin mixture over berries. Refrigerate until set. If desired, serve with whipped cream.