If there’s one dessert to make with strawberries, it’s this silken strawberry-rich pie with its distinctive addition of cream that lines the bottom of the pastry case before putting in the cooked jam-like strawberry filling.
I found the recipe in the excellent cookbook “The Farm” by Ian Knauer. The recipes are a mix of the author’s old-family recipes and Knauer’s many years as food editor of Gourmet Magazine.
There are many versions of no-bake strawberry pie. It generally employs the technique of crushing a portion of the berries and mixing in fresh strawberries enriched with sugar and cornstarch that cook until the mixture is clear and thick.
Cream Cheese Strawberry Pie
For the cream cheese filling (the cream cheese must be at room temperature) I used Casco Bay Butter company’s cream cheese, which is wonderfully rich and creamy. I haven’t seen it at stores but found it at the Brunswick Farmer’s Market at Crystal Springs.
Strrawberries from Fairwinds Farm
Another word of advice is to take care in blind baking the bottom crust before filling the pastry case. This is often tricky business to avoid the pastry from shrinking when it’s put in the oven to bake blind. Here’s what I do. I make the pastry dough the day before I need it or at least 3 to 4 hours ahead of time. Roll out the crust and fit it into the pie dish. Crimp the edges as you wish. Then rest the pie refrigerated for at least 3 to 4 hours. These steps will let the gluten relax so as not to shrink. Also, use a metal pie dish (not glass or ceramic) because it’s a more stable surface to hold the dough. And when fitting the dough into the dish make sure that the crimped border hangs slightly over the rim. When ready to bake put a sheet of parchment over the pastry case, fill with dried beans or pie weights and tuck the parchment overhang under the pie dish and place on a rimmed cooking sheet. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, carefully remove the parchment and continue to bake until the crust is lightly golden, about 5 to 10 minutes more. Before filling the pie, let the pastry cool.
Here is my adaptation of Ian Knauer’s Cream Cheese Strawberry Pie made with My Flakey Pie Dough.
Cream Cheese Strawberry Pie is a light and refreshing summer dessert using our excellent local berries.
Ingredients
- Pastry
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- Scant tablespoon sugar
- Pinch salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
- 2 tablespoons freshly rendered lard (available at Rosemont), very cold
- 1/4 cup ice water.
- Filling
- 1-quart strawberries, trimmed
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
- Pastry. Put the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter and lard into small and medium size cubes and freeze for 5 to 10 minutes. Put into the food processor and pulse about 8 to 10 times until the mixture has crumbs the size of small and large peas. Add half the water and pulse 4 to 5 times. Add the remaining water by drops pulsing, until it comes together and is moderately moist.
- Dump out onto a pastry board lightly floured. Knead once or twice until the dough holds together; flatten gently in a disk 1 inch thick and wrap in plastic or waxed paper and chill for at least 3 to4 hours.
- Roll out the dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie dish and crimp the edge. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line the pastry case with parchment and fill with beans. Bake on a rimmed sheet for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and return to the oven to take 5 to 10 minutes until the case is nicely browned.
- Cool completely before filling the pie
- Filling. Mash with a potato masher half the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Transfer to a medium pot and bring to a boil, stirring. Boil until the mixture is thickened and clear, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cool the mixture to room temperature. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of the cooled pastry case. Halve the remaining strawberries and stir into the cooked strawberries. Transfer the mixture to the pie shell and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream.
