Recipe: French Glace Strawberry Pie

Strange but true: I have an affinity for desserts with decadent sounding names.

Take for example strawberry pie, versus French Glace Strawberry Pie. Even if I didn’t know the difference between the two, I’d choose the French Glace Strawberry Pie every time, if only because of its more exotic and delicate sounding title.

Yes, I admit it. I’m a sucker for a fancy name.

For those of you wondering what comprises a French Glace Strawberry Pie, it’s nothing more than a strawberry pie made with a combination of whole berries and macerated berry juice (the juice sweetened with sugar and thickened with cornstarch), served over a layer of softened cream cheese spread across the bottom of a pre-baked pastry shell.

While you might think the softened cream cheese would add a heaviness to this pie, I promise you it does not. In fact the 3 ounces of cream cheese the following recipe calls for adds the opposite, bringing a touch of lightness and delicacy to this pie that traditional strawberry pies typically do not exhibit.

In my opinion, this recipe for French Glace Strawberry Pie is the perfect culmination of a few, select ingredients. Made using the freshest, red strawberries you can purchase at your local grocery or farmers’ market, your favorite (low-fat or not) cream cheese (I don’t know why you couldn’t substitute mascarpone if you prefer), as well as the richest, flakiest pastry crust you can make (or buy), this pie allows you to wow your guests (and yourself) with a surprisingly easy, delightful creation.

And if the name alone doesn’t make your recipients swoon, the first bite is sure to grab them…hook, line and sinker.

Recipe: French Glace Strawberry Pie

For this recipe, you will need a pre-baked 9″ pie shell.

• 1 quart fresh, ripe strawberries
• a 3 ounce package or serving of softened cream cheese
• 1 & 1/2 cups juice (made from macerating a portion of the strawberries listed above and additional water, if needed)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Assembly

Wash, drain and hull 1 quart of strawberries.

On the bottom of a pre-baked (and cooled) pastry shell, spread 3 ounces of softened cream cheese. Cover cream cheese base with HALF the hulled berries (tip pointing up), using only the choicest.

Mash and strain the remaining berries until juice is extracted. If necessary, add a little water to make 1 & 1/2 cups of juice in total. Bring this juice to boiling, gradually stirring in mixture of 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch until thickened.

TIP: Make sure juice is thickened and dense. Use additional cornstarch if necessary – you do not want a runny pie.

Continue cooking juice over low heat, stirring constantly until boiling. Boil 1 minute, then cool. When juice has cooled thoroughly, pour over the berries in the pastry shell.

Chill pie approximately 2 hours or until firmly set. Just before serving, decorate chilled pie with whipped cream in whatever pattern you prefer.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

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