King Arthur® Flour’s Microwave Strawberry Pie

First of all, let me say that this is not Pie As We Know It. Rather, it’s a combination of fresh berries, butter and sugar, with just enough thickener, in the form of flour and tapioca, to kind of hold the whole thing together. It’s a novelty food, really; I mean, microwave pie? “Impress your friends and co-workers by whipping up this pie right in the office! It’s fast! It’s easy! And only 20 minutes from start to finish!” Still... My friends and co-workers were impressed when I made this pie, using one dish, in our office mini-microwave. And, though not a good-looking, traditional pie in appearance, it did taste good.

Crust

1 stick butter
1 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar 

Filling

1 quart strawberries (cut the large ones into smaller pieces)
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange extract (optional, but very good)

The Crust: Melt butter in a 9-inch microwave-proof pie plate. Add flour and sugars to pie plate; mix with fork and, using your fingers, mold resulting dough around sides and bottom of plate. Prick with a fork, cover with waxed paper and microwave for 7 to 8 minutes, or until crust smells shortbread-y. 

The Filling: Mix the strawberries, tapioca, sugar and orange extract in a bowl. Stir well, and let sit 15 minutes. 

Spoon the filling into the baked pie crust. Dot generously with butter, re-cover with waxed paper, and microwave for 8 minutes, or until fruit bubbles. Leave pie in turned-off microwave a couple of minutes, then remove. Using a fork, smooth out the surface of the pie, pushing down any strawberries that aren’t covered with liquid. Let pie cool somewhat before serving (although this will be difficult, if you’ve got a lot of hungry friends around). 

Just A Hint...

Not that strawberries are all that hard to chop... But if you find the job tedious, or need berries chopped quite finely, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and set the sheet in the freezer. When berries are frozen through, chop them in a food processor, as coarsely or as finely as needed.