Pi Day Strawberry Cream Pie

Happy Pi Day!

 We made two pies in honor of Pi Day (3/14): a chicken pot pie and a strawberry cream pie.

I won't post the recipe for the chicken pot pie, because I basically used the one from the can. I had a feeling my kids would not like it and I didn't feel like putting a big effort in for my food to be rejected. My kids did, in fact, barely agree to taste it (why must they reject every casserole!?), but my husband really liked it.

The kids DID approve of the strawberry cream pie.

V helped me measure out and mix the ingredients for the cream portion of the pie, then I cooked them until they were combined and thick and set them aside to cool.

I crushed the strawberries with a fork and added them to the water and sugar and simmered for about 10 minutes, until the topping was mostly clear around the edges.

While I whipped the cream to finish the filling, we sliced strawberries for the top of the pie and the girls ate about a pint. Then I folded the cream into the rest of the filling & I poured it into a pre-baked pie crust. V helped me arrange the strawberries and spoon the glaze over everything. Then the girls licked both bowls.

Meanwhile, I tortured them both by singing the song made famous by the movie "Waitress." Actually, at one point V was telling K to shush so she could hear me sing it, so that was nice.

  
Because we are impatient, we put the pie in the freezer for about 20 minutes and then moved it to the refrigerator for another hour.

The finished product.

STRAWBERRY CREAM PIE

Ingredients

1 pastry shell, baked

Cream Filling

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

Strawberry Topping

1/2 cup strawberries, mashed with a fork

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

3 cups strawberries, halved

Directions

1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt in a saucepan
2. Slowly whisk in milk and cook on medium about 5 minutes, until thick and bubbling.
3. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring, 2 more minutes.
4. Crack an egg into a bowl and scramble it, then add a small amount of the milk mixture to the egg to temper it and combine. Add a bit more, then return the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan.
5. Cook egg and milk mixture another 2 minutes on medium low.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
7. In another saucepan, cook mashed strawberries and water on medium high heat about 2 minutes
8. Add sugar and cornstarch and mix thoroughly
9. Reduce heat to medium low and cook about 8 more minutes. Remove from heat & allow to cool.
10. Whip the cream (chilling the bowl and whisk in the freezer for a few minutes speeds the process) then fold into the milk mixture
11. Pour/spoon milk mixture into pre-baked pie crust
12. Arrange halved strawberries on top
13. Spoon glaze on top of strawberries
14. Refrigerate (or freeze!) until cold and set