Use half of my Hot Water Pastry for the crust for this fabulous delicious pie. It uses fresh strawberries that are layered over a sweet cream cheese filling. It's the perfect finish for a spring meal.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 9" Hot Water Pastry or Cookie Pie Crust
- 6 cups strawberries, hulled
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line the Hot Water Pastry with pie weights or aluminum foil and dried beans. Bake at 400 degrees until light brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. (This is called blind baking.) If you choose to make the Cookie Pie Crust, you don't need to line it with weights or beans; it will bake just fine on its own. Cool completely.
Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix granulated sugar and cornstarch in a heavy saucepan and stir in strawberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Cook and stir for 1 minute and then remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and cool.
Beat cream cheese with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon rind until smooth and spread in cooled pie crust.
Slice remaining strawberries and arrange over pie. Pour cooked and cooled strawberry mixture over the whole strawberries and chill for 3-4 hours or until set. Refrigerate any remaining pie.
