Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie

This is simply a vanilla cream pie made in a deep dish pie pan so that you can pile fresh strawberries and glace on top. Adorned with whipped cream it is very attractive. Fresh strawberries and vanilla cream make a wonderful combination. This pie has four components plus the whipped cream: The crust, the vanilla cream filling, the strawberries and the glace.

The crust:
Make a pie crust from your favorite recipe and fill a deep-dish, nine-inch pie pan. Prick the crust with the tines of a fork so that steam can escape while baking. Bake it at 450 degrees for eight to ten minutes or until it begins to brown. Set it aside to cool.

The berries:
Wash and hull the strawberries. Do not allow the strawberries to sit in water since they will absorb water and make the pie runny. Select uniform ripe berries and slice them until you have
1 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries. Set them aside.With a fork or a potato masher, mash enough of the reaming strawberries to make about one cup of pulp.

The glace:
You’ll need the following ingredients plus the one cup of mashed berries.
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
couple drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, crushed strawberries, and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil, stirring often. Cook for two more minutes until the sauce becomes thick and translucent. Stir in the butter. Add the red food coloring if desired. Set it aside to cool.

The vanilla cream pie filling:
3 cups milk or light cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, mix the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring often with a whisk, just until the mixture begins to boil.

With a whisk, whip the egg yolks and whole egg together in a stainless steel bowl. Sift the cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar together into the eggs. Whip until perfectly smooth.
While stirring the eggs with your whisk, drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture. The hot milk will temper the eggs. Return the filling mixture to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted.
 
To assemble your pie:
Spread the warm vanilla cream filling in the baked pie shell. Set the pie in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, uncovered to cool.

Distribute the strawberry slices over the vanilla filing. Pour the cooled glaze over the berries. Refrigerate the pie until it is well-chilled. Garnish with whipped cream and serve.


Source: www.preparedpantry.com

Chef
0 min
Serves 0