COMMENT:
When spring rolls around, the refreshing flavor of lemon pie is the dessert of choice. However, the tart flavor of the pie can often be enhanced with the addition of fresh strawberries or blueberries. Here is an example

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Louisiana strawberries, diced
• 3 pints Louisiana strawberries, sliced
• 3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
• 1 package cool whip

METHOD:
In a saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in water. Using a wire whisk, blend until smooth. Add lemon juice, strawberries, sugar and beaten egg yolks. Stir mixture over medium heat until sauce has thickened and resembles a pie filling, approximately 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add lemon zest and butter, stirring constantly until butter is incorporated. Pour pie filling into pre-cooked shell. Set aside to cool slightly. When totally cool, top the pie with a generous amount of cool whip and swirl the topping in a decorative fashion. Beginning in the center of the topping, shingle the sliced strawberries in a circular fashion until the top of the cool whip is covered totally with the berries. If there are any sliced berries remaining, place in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tbsps sugar, stir and refrigerate along with the pie for a minimum of 4 hours. When ready to serve, slice pie and top each slice with a teaspoon of the sugared berries.