My dog Finn, a scruffy cairn terrier mix, and I went to pick up a duck in Petaluma last week. After sheltering in place for the past couple months, I felt almost giddy to be out driving my car. Finn was thrilled to be in the car too. Just three months ago we were spending most weekdays driving around together and walking other dogs — now it felt great to finally get out of the house for something other than groceries. There weren’t many cars on the road as we headed north on Rt.101, and I realized I was smiling at the sight of green rolling hills as if they were old friends.  

I was getting a duck in Petaluma because of  Samin Nastrat.  As many of you probably already know, she is the author of the best-selling cookbook Acid Fat Salt Heat  and she had reposted a website that helps connect farmers and ranchers to the public. Most of these farms sell much of their food to restaurants. However, when the pandemic hit that revenue source dried up and many of the ranchers and farmers on the website had no way to reach out to the public. When I pulled up outside Liberty Duck, it looked like a private residence: there was nothing to announce the farm. A very friendly white bearded man came out right away and introduced himself as the owner.  He explained that they usually sold in large quantities to restaurants and were in the process of shifting gears to retail sales. As proof he laughingly pointed to a tiny piece of white note paper taped to the door that said, “Knock for Duck”. As we chatted about how I found them, a young woman who he introduced as his daughter came out the door with a cardboard box. She popped it in through the rear window and cheerfully offered to deliver my next order. We were happy to meet them both and we will be back.

The recipe this month isn’t for duck, but it can help some of our local farmers. The end of May is the height of strawberry season and Father’s Day is coming up too. If you have kids, they can help make the pie. Buy extra though, because more strawberries might find their way in to mouths than go in the pie— and of course everyone likes to lick the whipped cream off the beater.

Plan ahead at least 4 hours before serving! The pie crust needs to rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours before you roll it out, AND once assembled, the pie has to firm up in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. It is a good idea to read through the recipe before you start making your pie.

Ingredients:

• 1½ quarts strawberries

• ½ cup water

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 2½ tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 recipe Pate Brisee

Filling:

Pick out 12-15 of the best looking berries. Note:  I usually place them in the empty pie dish to make sure they all fit. Not too snuggly but enough to cover most of the bottom of the pie. Now cut off stems, wash them thoroughly and leave them to dry completely. While they are drying make the filling.

Place one pint of crushed berries in a medium saucepan with water, sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a slow boil and stir until translucent. Takes about 4-5 minutes, keep a close eye on saucepan so that it doesn’t overcook and become too thick. Remove from heat and add butter and set aside to cool.

 Once all ingredients are room temperature you are ready to assemble the pie. First put whole strawberries in the cooled crust. Pour glaze over the berries, tilting to the left and right to make sure the glaze is evenly distributed. The tops of the berries will stick up out of the glaze and that is fine. The whipped cream will cover them. Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). Whip the heavy cream to your desired consistency and cover the top of the pie completely. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat. ENJOY!

 Pie Crust- Julia Child’s Pâte Brisée

Edited August 5th 2024

• 1½ cups of all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cake flour

• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

• ¼ teaspoon of salt

• 6 oz. of chilled butter quartered and diced (12 tablespoons)

• ½ ice water 

Note: This recipe makes two crusts. You only need one on the bottom for this recipe. The extra dough will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two or you can freeze it for a couple months. 

To make the piecrust:

Sift the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chilled diced butter. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Cut in half and form two disks. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours. 

Preheat the oven 450° 

 Roll out one of the disks of dough and place it in a 9” pie plate, prick the bottom with a fork. If you are waiting for the oven to preheat, place the pie in the fridge to chill. Then blind bake the crust. To do this place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil inside the pie use beans or rice to weigh the dough down while cooking. Make sure you spread the beans all the way to the edges of the crust so the weight is evenly distributed. After 8 minutes carefully take the weights out and continue to cook the pie for another 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.