Strawberry Cream Pie

“One more slice, honey.  Everything will be all right. This is the magic and glory of pie.”  ~Mollie Cox Bryan

 Strawberries and cream – pure heaven

This quote certainly describes how my husband feels when he indulges in a piece of this pie.  One slice, oh no, he is unable to stop at just one slice.  The creamy pudding combined with the luscious juices of fresh June strawberries is glorious.  Of course, you can’t stop there. Let’s add some sweetened whipped cream to top it all off.  Divine!

I have been making this pie for 40 years.  The first dinner that my in-laws ate at our small campus apartment included this pie.  My new husband, in a very proud sort of way, said to his mother that we were having homemade “pudding pie” for dessert.  His mother said,”The pudding is made with My-T-Fine.”  He said no, “It is made from scratch with sugar, eggs etc.”  She looked at him rather quizzically and said, “I didn’t think you could make pudding if it wasn’t MY-T-Fine.”   As a side note, she really liked the pie.

Here’s how to make this terrific summertime pie.

Gather the ingredients for the pudding.

I used to make this pudding in the traditional manner by placing the ingredients in a saucepan and cooking it over direct heat.  Invariably, the pudding would scorch on the bottom.  So, I experimented with cooking it in the microwave and I have never looked back.

Preheat the milk in a Pyrex liquid measuring cup for 2 minutes on high.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt.

Stir in the preheated milk.

Place in the microwave and cook for 9 minutes, on power level 6, stirring every 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the whites into a small glass bowl.   Beat slightly.

Stir a small amount of the pudding mixture into the yolks.  Add the yolk mixture to the pudding and stir to combine.

Place in the microwave, and cook for 2 minutes, on power level 6, stirring every 30 seconds.

Remove from the microwave and stir in the butter and the vanilla.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and chill completely.

For the crust, see my weekly tip post about taking the fear out of pie crust.

A few hours before serving, slice a handful of fresh strawberries.  Arrange the slices in a concentric circle on the bottom of the crust.

Spread the pudding over the strawberries.

Whip the heavy cream until stiff.

Spread on top of the pudding or pipe decoratively as shown.

Garnish with whole perfect strawberries.  Chill to let all the flavors mingle.

The best part.  Slice and indulge!!

Strawberry Cream Pie Recipe

By Patricia Rio Published: June 21, 2013

• Strawberry Cream Pie

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• Yield: 6-8 Servings
• Prep: 60 mins
• Cook: 30 mins
• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins

Pudding adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book - my very worn 1970's edition

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white sugar Pudding
• 1/3 cup white flour Pudding
• 1/4 tsp salt Pudding
• 2 cups whole or 2% milk Pudding
• 3 whole egg yolks Pudding
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Pudding
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Pudding
• 1 prebaked pie crust See prior blog post
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream Whipped topping
• 1 teaspoon white sugar Whipped topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the milk in a Pyrex liquid measuring cup for 2 minutes on high.
   
2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the preheated milk.
   
3. Place in the microwave and cook for 9 minutes, on power level 6, stirring every 2 minutes.
   
4. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the whites into a small glass bowl. Beat slightly. Stir a small amount of the pudding mixture into the yolks. Add the yolk mixture to the pudding and stir to combine.
   
5. Place in the microwave, and cook for 2 minutes, on power level 6, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in the butter and the vanilla.
   
6. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and chill completely.
   
7. A few hours before serving, slice a handful of fresh strawberries. Arrange the slices in a concentric circle on the bottom of the crust.
   
8. Spread the pudding over the strawberries.
   
9. Whip the heavy cream until stiff. Spread on top of the pudding or pipe decoratively as shown.
   
10. Garnish with whole perfect strawberries. Chill to let all the flavors mingle. The best part. Slice and indulge!!