Pie #50: Recommendation Pie (French Strawberry Pie)

I have two of the best advisors for which a person could ask.  Among other things, they are intelligent, witty, blunt, patient, humorous, curious, supportive, and down-to-earth.  Over the past three years I have learned a lot from them, not only regarding my research area, but also in terms of what it means to produce quality research, to be a faculty member, and to be a collaborator. 

I've come to realize that the title 'Advisor' could be synonymous to the title 'Recommender'; I feel fortunate to have a relationship with my advisors that allows for recommendations beyond the next research steps.  For instance, I have received welcome recommendations from them regarding job applications (both in the form of recommendation letters and for which positions to apply), homeowner issues, vacation attractions, networking opportunities, computer purchasing, office temperature control, and (most importantly here!) pies.

This week's pie is the product of one such recommendation.  As soon as Tom heard about my project, he declared that he had a recipe for my collection.  His wife Gail emailed it to me,  and included her own recommendation:
"We have this only when I can go out and pick strawberries.  I'm sure one can use strawberries from the grocery store but I don't think the pie would be as good.  This is one of those pies that will dirty your whole kitchen so be prepared."

I was pretty sure she was right about needing fresh berries.  Since berry season had already passed, I tucked this recipe away for the end of my pie year.  Finally my wait was over - fresh berries had arrived at the Farm Market!

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French Strawberry Pie

Gail Santner

Ingredients:

1 baked 9" pie shell

4 oz. cream cheese

1-2 T. cream

1 1/2 qts. strawberries

2/3 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

few drops lemon juice

Pie Algorithm:

1. Wash and hull the berries, setting aside 1/3-1/2 of the best ones.  If they are large, cut in half. Mash the rest and put through a sieve to get rid of the seeds.  Mix this puree with the sugar and cornstarch.  Add the lemon drops.  Cook this mixture until thick and transparent, stirring constantly.  Set aside to cool.

 

2. Blend the cream cheese and cream until soft and smooth.  Spread over cooled pie shell.

 

3. When berry sauce is cool, pour half over the cream cheese. Arrange the whole berries over the sauce.  Then pour the remaining puree over the berries and chill.

 

This pie is wonderful as is--it doesn't even need whipped cream.

 

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Because of time issues, I ended up using a shortbread crust instead of a regular crust.  The flavor and texture paired well with the pie filling, but it was hard to spread the cream cheese.  If I decide to use this crust again, I will use more cream to make the cream cheese mixture a bit more spreadable.  Additionally, I think I should have kept more berries in chunks.  I ended up with a lot of sauce, and not quite enough berries.

 

Though, with these minor details aside, this pie was a definite winner!  I love the taste of fresh berries, and the added cream flavor was like a little piece of heaven in my mouth!  I'm sure to make this pie again!