Strawberry Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust
Strawberry Cream Pie is a basic dessert that by no means goes out of favor! It’s made with scrumptious French pastry cream and the season’s greatest contemporary strawberries.
There are lots of methods to have fun the season’s bounty of contemporary strawberries, and this pie is likely one of the greatest! The silky French pastry cream filling strikes an ideal stability with the tart berry topping. The standard crust is an easy press-in-the-pan graham cracker crumb combination. However this time I’ve opted for a chocolate cookie crust. Which provides the pie richness and makes it much more particular, if you happen to ask me.
Strawberries
Fortunately, heat climate is right here to remain for some time! So it’s really easy to seek out actually nice tasting strawberries proper now. Farmer’s markets and berry farms are a great place to start out purchasing. However even grocery retailer berries will style noticeably higher. If you end up with a bumper crop, and need to protect the in-season strawberries, then take a look at my article on how you can freeze strawberries right here, on Meals.com.
Make the Chocolate Cookie Crust
Begin with 1 1/2 cups of chocolate cookie crumbs. Since Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers are no longer in production, use Oreo sandwich cookies with the filling scraped out. That’s roughly 22-25 of the unfilled sandwich cookies pulverized in a meals processor. (Dewey’s Bakery Brownie Crisp Cookie Thins are additionally a fantastic alternative.) Or, if you happen to’d quite go for the basic graham cracker crust, then you’ll find the directions for that within the recipe notes.
Mix the crumbs with melted butter in a medium mixing bowl and stir to coat the crumbs. Press the crumbs into an ungreased pie plate and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 7 minutes to set it. Let the crust cool on a wire rack when you prep the filling.
Make the Vanilla Cream Filling
Start by whisking collectively a number of dry substances in a big pot: sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Subsequent, whisk collectively 3 cups of half-and-half (or complete milk), 6 egg yolks, and a little bit vanilla. Pour the combination into the dry substances and whisk to mix. Then, place over medium warmth and deliver to a boil whereas whisking continuously. Cook dinner till easy and thickened. When it has the consistency of soppy pudding, add 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk till melted and mixed. Let it cool 5 minutes earlier than pouring it into the pie crust.
Tip: Whisking continuously ought to assist stop lumps. Nevertheless, in case your pastry cream has lumps on the finish of cooking, go it by way of a sieve earlier than filling the pie crust.
Fill and Chill
Pour the nice and cozy cream filling into the cooled pie crust. Clean the highest after which refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or in a single day.
High with Strawberries
There’s a couple of approach to prime this pie! You’ll be able to slice the strawberries as I’ve, and organize them on prime in a starburst design (see the video that can assist you alongside.) Or, you may merely cube the strawberries fantastic and pile them on prime (see this recipe for instance). I’ll admit, the latter is barely simpler to slice, however I’m a fan of a flowery association.
Glaze the Strawberries
Just like the basic French fruit tart (tarte aux fruits) make the strawberries shine with a easy jam glaze. Use a crimson fruit jam, equivalent to raspberry or strawberry, and warmth it in a small microwave-safe cup. Cook dinner till liquid and shiny, about 30 seconds. Then, utilizing a pastry brush, coat all the berries with the jam. Apricot jam may even work properly, however will probably be virtually clear and received’t add any shade just like the crimson jam will.
Refrigerate one other 10-ish minutes earlier than serving to set the glaze.
This Strawberry Cream Pie is such a stunning chilled deal with to serve throughout heat climate. It appears simply the factor to serve at a cookout or summer time barbecue. The mix of chocolate crust, creamy custard filling, and tart strawberries – what’s to not love?
Associated recipe: Strawberry Icebox Cheesecake Dessert
Strawberry Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs equivalent to pulverized Oreo cookies with filling eliminated
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Pastry cream filling
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon fantastic grain salt
- 3 cups half-and-half or complete milk
- 6 giant egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Strawberry topping
- 1 quart contemporary strawberries washed and dried
- 1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam or jelly
Crust
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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In a big bowl, stir collectively the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Combine properly till all the crumbs are coated with the butter.
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Pour the crumbs into an ungreased pie plate and pack them evenly into the underside of the pan and up the perimeters.
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Bake for 7 minutes to set. Take away to a wire rack to chill fully.
Pastry cream filling
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In a big saucepan, whisk collectively the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. In a big measuring pitcher or one other mixing bowl, mix the half-and-half, egg yolks, and vanilla. Whisk to mix.
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Pour the liquid combination into the dry combination whereas whisking continuously. Place the pan over medium warmth and produce to a boil, whisking continuously. Cook dinner till easy and thickened, to the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes.
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Take away from the warmth and whisk within the butter. When the butter is melted, let the combination stand for five minutes to chill barely.
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Pour the cream into the ready pie crust. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and as much as 24 hours.
Strawberry topping
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Minimize 4 complete strawberries in half with the tops intact; put aside. Hull and slice the remaining strawberries. Pat them dry with paper towels. Organize within the heart of the pie in a starburst sample (see video for visuals). Organize halved strawberries with the inexperienced tops across the sliced berries.
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Warmth the jam or jelly in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds to 1 minute, till liquid. Let cool barely. Use a pastry brush to coat all the berries with a fantastic layer of the jam.
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Refrigerate the pie for a minimum of 10 minutes earlier than serving to set the jam. Retailer lined within the fridge.
Lumpy Pastry Cream? No Drawback! Be sure to’re whisking continuously as you prepare dinner the pastry cream. All that whisking ought to assist stop lumps. Nevertheless, in case your pastry cream has lumps on the finish of cooking, go it by way of a sieve earlier than filling the pie crust.
A Speedier Topping: For those who’re not into arranging all these berries, you may merely cube all of them fantastic and toss them within the melted jam, then pile them on prime of the pie and refrigerate as directed.
Weepy Berries: Organize the berries on prime of the pie inside a few hours earlier than serving for the freshest look. If leftovers stay greater than a day or two, the berries will start to weep and provides off their juices. The inexperienced tops on the halved berries may even wilt. This doesn’t look fairly, but it surely is not going to have an effect on the style.
For a Graham Cracker Crust: Mix 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and a couple of tablespoons granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk to mix. Add 7 tablespoons melted butter and blend to coat the crumbs. Pour right into a pie plate and press within the backside and up the perimeters; bake and funky as directed within the recipe.
