Fresh Strawberry Pie with Strawberry Glaze

I am so happy to finally present to you my fresh strawberry pie! This one took a lot of trial and error pies (which my family happily ate). The first one involved way too much strawberry gelatin. Ew. It was like strawberry-studded jello in a pie crust.

Not to worry! This one is not that. And it's wonderful. So go grab some fresh strawberries and make this pie!

Ingredients:

One pie crust, prepared

1 C sugar

3 T cornstarch

1/2 T unflavored gelatin

2 lbs strawberries

1/2 C water

2 t lemon juice

1 C heavy cream

In a small bowl, separate out 1/2 C strawberries.

Mash them. 

In a saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, crushed strawberries, unflavored gelatin, water, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat 5-8 minutes until thickened. Set aside.

Spread two tablespoons of the strawberry glaze on the bottom of the prepared pie crust.

Halve the rest of the strawberries (quarter the big ones). Spread over the pie crust.

Admire the fresh strawberry goodness.

Pour the glaze over the strawberries.

Chill at least 4 hours.

Whip up the cup of heavy cream until stiff. Trust me on this: DON'T ADD SUGAR. The purity of the whipped cream adds the perfect finishing touch to the sweet berry pie. Try not to eat it all at once!!

Tastefully,

Tamara

Coconut Lime Pie

This is one of those pies that's just like, oh my goodness, so good! It's got a bit of a remembrance to a key lime pie, but the chewy, almost nutty coconut taste adds a depth of flavor that you won't believe!

Ingredients:
pastry for single pie crust
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 T flour
5 eggs
1/3 C butter, melted
2 limes, juiced and zest
1/2 t vanilla
1 C coconut
1 C whipped cream

Roll out the pie dough for a 9" plate and carefully lay the dough in the plate. Trim the excess crust and crimp the edges as desired. Set aside.

Beat the sugars, flour, eggs, and butter in a bowl.

Measure out 2 teaspoons of lime zest and 2 tablespoons of juice. Add this and the vanilla to the mixture and beat well.

Sprinkle 3/4 C of the coconut over the prepared pie dough. 

Pour the filling over the coconut.

Beautiful, isn't it? Just wait.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 35-45 minutes. It will get nice and brown on top but should still jiggled when shook. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (I just plan ahead and let it sit overnight).

Before serving, toast the remaining 1/4 C coconut by spreading on a baking sheet. Put in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure it doesn't burn. 

Should look about like this. If it does burn, start over! you don't want burned coconut on top.

Beat the 1 cup of whipped cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Trust me here when I say you don't need sugar in this one. Just the cream.

Spread the cream in the middle of the cooled pie. You could go all the way to the edges if you wanted, but the filling underneath is so pretty. . . .

And finally, sprinkle the toasted coconut over the 

Wha-la! It is done! Serve and enjoy!

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Nutty and Buttery Pear Crumble

I had an overabundance of pears and searched vigilantly for recipes I could use my pears in. I was excited to find this nutty and buttery pear crumbled, which uses walnuts instead of oatmeal for a great crunchy flavor. And sweetened with maple syrup! It's so good!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb pears, cubed

2/3 C maple syrup (the real stuff!!! no cheating here!)

1 T minced crystallized ginger

1 C raisins

topping:

1 C walnuts, chopped

1 C flour

2/3 C brown sugar

1/2 C butter, cold

Mix all of the ingredients together except the topping.

Press into a 9x13 baking pan.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, and walnuts. Add the butter, pinching it with your fingers until it is well blended. Sprinkle over the top of the pears.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-55 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your pears. Mine were very underripe and took almost an hour. When you see it bubbling, it's done.

Would go fantastic with vanilla ice-cream!

Tastefully,

Tamara