Strawberries and Cream Pie Recipe

Clean and trim the strawberries. Reserve ½ cup of your best-looking whole strawberries to decorate the top of the pie. Slice 2 cups of the strawberries in half or quarters and set aside. To make strawberry sauce, roughly chop the remaining strawberries and combine with the orange juice and zest in a covered saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the berries are broken down and juicy. Take the lid off and smash up the berries a little. Simmer for 15 minutes more, until completely liquid, with thick bubbles showing. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl and mix well. Whisk this mixture into the strawberry reduction and cook over medium heat until it is just at a boil—the opacity goes out of the sauce and it looks shiny and steamy. Cool the sauce for 10 minutes, then fold the sliced berries into the sauce. Chill the sauce completely. To assemble the pie, you can choose which layer you want on top—pudding or berries. Spread the cold strawberry mixture in the pie shell, then layer on the Vanilla Pudding, smoothing the top with a spatula. Chill the pie, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve it cold, garnished with the reserved ½ cup of whole or halved strawberries. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.