Strawberry Cream Pie

Every year for Easter our little family is involved in the Paradise Lion's Club Annual Easter Egg Hunt.  First off let me just say.............."I hate Easter Egg Hunts!"  They stress me out.  It all started when I was a teenager.  I remember going with my youngest brother to an Easter Egg hunt in St. George and watching the kid struggle to find one stinking egg.  I hate ruthless mothers that are boxing out the competition, and have the mentality of a soldier in combat during the race.  I remember wanting to scream, "Stop!!!  Can my poor little brother just find one egg?"  The competition is just way too fierce for a lovely spring morning.  Now that that is off my chest, on to the Paradise hunt.  It's the same.  I just don't look.  Actually my kids are old enough now they don't care.   They get to hide all the eggs for the different age groups now and that's their fun.  And maybe it's that I tend to over compensate for their lack of egg finding skills with our hunt at home. You know everyone gets the same amount of eggs and candy and toys and clothes and................you get the idea.

Before the hunt can start every year though there is a bake sale.  All the wives of the Lions bring their best Easter treats and the hunt can't start until all goodies have been purchased.  When James joined the Lions Club years ago there was a little old lady in town that would bring two Lemon Meringue Pies to the sale first thing every year.  There were always people waiting to grab the pies before they even made it into the fire station.  Dear Sister P doesn't make the pies anymore.  She's still alive, but the pies are a bit too much now a days.  The pies always brought in the most money from the bake sale.  I don't do a very good Lemon Meringue.  They tend to weep, but I make a mean Strawberry Cream Pie.  I've taken other pies in years past,  but it's all about the presentation.  Who can resist a bright red Strawberry Pie piled ten feet high.  Nobody!  They were snarfed up in minutes and brought a pretty penny for the cause.  One of the men who bought a pie actually called Sat. afternoon to tell James that the pie was the best he'd ever had.  I'm sure it wasn't, but that sure made this chubby little pregnant ladies day.

So it's strawberry season, and there is nothing prettier on the planet than a Strawberry Pie.   We like to have a cream filling first and then a huge pile of strawberries on top.  It's the best of both worlds.  Side note here and hopefully it's not too graphic.  It will gross my brother Marc out but oh well.  James had a dream the other day that he rented a big white tent and he set it up in my strawberry patch and we had this baby there.   We had a great laugh!  Trust me........if such a thing ever happened I'd at least have her middle name be Strawberry.  Wouldn't that be adorable.  Truly Strawberry Clawson!  She's going to be scrumptious no matter what I'm sure.  Sorry for the graphic image.  Enjoy your pie!!

My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe

3 c. flour

1 1/2 c shortening

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt 

1 egg

1/4-1/3 c. water

1 T. vinegar

3 T. cornstarch

Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar.  Cut in shortening.  I actually like to use Manteca Lard  a lot of the times.  My sisters friend Makita gave us this tip a few years ago and it make delicious pie crust!  Mix egg, cold water, and vinegar.  Blend into flour mixture until it forms a ball.  Try to handle the dough as little as possible.  Makes 4 single pie crusts.  I always make the whole recipe.  If I have dough left over I just plop the dough ball into a Ziploc and put it into the freezer.  All you have to do is thaw and roll when needed.  

For the Strawberry Pie you need to blind bake the crust.  That's just prebaking.  I usually roll out the crust and crimp the edges and then put another pie pan on top of the crust to bake.  That keeps the dough from slipping down the pie pan.  Bake at 375 for about 15-20 mins. or until browned.

Cream Filling

This is pretty much just a no bake cheesecake.  

1 8oz. cube cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2-3 c. of cream whipped and sweetened

2 c. of vanilla pudding (instant is fine or homemade)

Beat the cream cheese and condensed milk together until completely smooth.  Gently fold in the whipped cream and pudding.  This much cream filling filled 3- 9 inch pies.  Fill each cooled pie shell almost full of cream and then top with fresh berries.

Strawberry Glaze

I use this all the time.  It is so easy and cheap to make.  No need to buy Danish Dessert anymore.

1 c. water

2/3 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

2 T. raspberry or strawberry jello powder

pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients and cook until mixture comes to a boil.  Cool and add to fresh berries for a beautiful glaze.

I used about 1 1/2 lbs. of strawberries for each pie.  I like the berries whole or just cut in half.  I don't add a ton of the glaze.  Just enough to cover all the berries and then pile them as high as you can on top of the cream filling.  You need to eat the pie the same day.  It looks terrible the next day, but it tastes divine still.