Many people think that the secret to making a very good dish or dessert lies in the ingredients, the filling or the plate used in the process.

You will be (pleasantly) surprised to find out that you can achieve a great result without having to know much cookery, but have a nice touch to the crust of your dessert instead. And the greatest trick is that you can apply the technique to many other occasions, such as Christmas or Monday Night Football, because the shapes can take many forms, from hearts to trees or footballs. Make sure you have these materials:

• strawberries;
• frozen pie crust;
• Pillsbury pie crusts;
• a half cup of granulated sugar;
• three tablespoons of cornstarch;
• an egg;
• sanding sugar;
• water;
• bowl;
• saucepan;
• heart shape cutter or knife;

Take the strawberries, cut them in chunks and coat with sugar in a bowl. Then boil slightly above medium heat a half cup of water with cornstarch and the strawberries, for 10 minutes in an average saucepan.

With a heart shape cookie cutter or just a knife, cut out the hearts from the Pillsbury pie crust. Brush egg wash on one side then place the first row of heart shapes, one piece at a time, sturdily on the crust, just like in the images.

Repeat the process, overlaying consequently each of the rows. When you’re done, brush egg wash all over the pie and also use sanding sugar for dusting.

Place in oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees and after take the temperature down to 375 degrees F and leave in for another 20 to 25 minutes until the crust reaches a golden brown color or you see the filling bubbling. Enjoy!

source and more photos: missbuttercup.com