Strawberry Pie, Linebaugh's-Style

• servings: 1 pie; serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup strawberry gelatin powder

2 quarts large strawberries, washed and hulled

1 (9-inch) pie shell, baked

Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and 1 cup of water in a small pot.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the syrup coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and gelatin.

Chill until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 minutes.

Arrange the strawberries stem end down in the pie shell and spoon the thickened gelatin mixture over the top.

Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Top with whipped cream and serve.

Notes

Dolly says: "I loved the strawberry pie at LInebaugh's, a good old-fashioned diner in Nashville. The strawberries in their pies were huge. On one of my very first "business" lunches in Nashville, Chet Atkins took me to Shoney's, and boy was I nervous. I was havin' lunch with a big star and I was just a little wannabe. He ordered me a piece of Shoney's strawberry pie and when the waitress set it down in front of me, the words just came out of my mouth: 'Golly, these strawberries are bigger than Linebaugh's!' which sounded like 'lion's balls' because of my Tennessee mountain accent. He died laughing. Here's my best rendition of that Linebaugh's delight."