Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Taste of Summer- Fresh Strawberry Pie


When I was a kid my family used to go to Shoney's to eat on occasion (back when Shoney's was actually good- either that or my expectations of food were much lower). I have fond memories of their all-you-can-eat salad bar, the Sunday breakfast bar, and their strawberry pie. My Mom loved their strawberry pie! Sometimes after a day out and about we would stop by Shoney's for a slice of pie as a treat.
I have always wanted to re-create that pie for myself, so since I had 2 gallons (now down to 1) of fresh picked strawberries in my fridge, this was a great time to do that!

The recipe is pretty simple, but does take a little time to make. But it's totally worth it! The crust is a graham cracker crust, and instead of using strawberry gelatin, you make your own sauce from a puree of the strawberries.

Graham Cracker Crust:

8-10 Graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup dairy free margarine



Directions:
Melt the margarine slowly over low heat on the stove.


Meanwhile, put the crackers in your food processor and pulse until they are reduced to crumbs.




Pulse in the 1/4 cup of sugar until well blended.
Add the melted margarine and vanilla extract and pulse until the crumbs are moist.


Press the mixture into a 9inch pie plate- make sure it is even all the way around.


Bake in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges are browned.



Remove and let cool before adding the strawberry filling. I put mine in the fridge to make it cool faster.

Strawberry Filling:
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled, and pureed. (Will equal 1 cup liquid)
roughly 2-3 cups whole strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced in half
3/4 cup sugar ( white granulated works best)
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract


Directions:
Puree 1 and 1/2 cup whole strawberries until they turn into liquid.


Combine the puree in a sauce pan with the sugar, water, and cornstarch. Using a whisk to combine, heat on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.


Let boil for about a minute or so, then remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Whisk slowly for about 5 minutes, as the mixture cools. It should thicken up nicely.


Arrange the sliced berries in the cooled pie shell.


Pour the puree mixture over the berries, making sure to cover them all evenly.


Cool in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours, or until it sets.


Enjoy!

3 comments:

  1. That looks so good! And not hard at all.

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  2. mmmm, looks good enough to try. I like the idea of the strawberry puree instead of the gelatin. :o)

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  3. It is so much better than the gelatin! And it makes the house smell so good while it's cooking!

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