Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Using a fork, poke several holes in the bottom of your pie crust. This helps prevent the crust from puffing up while it bakes.

Place the pie crust in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until it's lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Thoroughly wash and dry your strawberries.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the stems off. Set the strawberries aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.

Whisk in the cornstarch and a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.

The food coloring is optional but adds a beautiful hue to the glaze. Continue to whisk the mixture until it thickens to a syrupy consistency.

Remove the glaze from the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. This helps it thicken further and prevents it from being too runny in the pie.

To make the whipped cream, pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream on medium speed.

Add the vanilla extract and sugar to the cream. Continue to beat until the cream forms stiff peaks. Set aside.

Now comes the fun part! Using a ladle, add enough glaze to cover the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust. This creates a nice base for the strawberries.

Arrange a layer of strawberries over the glaze, then drizzle with more glaze. Repeat this process, alternating layers of strawberries and glaze until the pie is filled.