Fresh Strawberry Pie with Vanilla Crust

I had a lot of vanilla wafers left over from another recipe. While I was wondering what to do with those, along came the big, bright and juicy strawberries of the season. What more do you need to bake a pie ???  
30 minutes later I am back home from the store with a big box of .....yes, you guessed it right - Strawberries :)

The pie turned out pretty good - its a very soft pie since I used crushed vanilla wafers for my crust and a strawberry glaze over fresh cut berries. It wasn't very heavy and since my wafers were the reduced fat kind, It made it easier to believe that I wouldn't have to spend extra hours at the gym - not that it helps in any case :)

Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

vanilla wafers - about 50

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter - melted

2 Tbs sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Crush the wafers in a food processor until its coarse. Add the sugar and the melted butter and mix well.  Press the wafer mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and press down and along the sides of the pan. Bake it in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown and set.

Remove the the baked crust from the oven and set aside. Let it cool completely before filing.

Filing:

Ingredients:

6-8 cups strawberries washed
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn starch
2 Tbs butter
 
Directions:
 
Combine the sugar and corn starch in a sauce pan. Mash or grind about 2 cups of strawberries to make a thick paste - It doesn't have to be smooth. Add the strawberry mixture to the sugar and corn starch mix and cook over medium heat. Keep stirring until the strawberry mixture thickens. Once its done, remove from heat and add the butter and mix well.
 
Slice the remaining strawberries and place them in the cooled crust. You could also arrange whole strawberries but personally I think that sliced strawberries are easier to eat. Once the strawberries are arranged in the pie crust, pour the strawberry glaze over them to cover completely. Chill for 2-4 hours and serve with whipped cream.
 
bon appetit !!!

Dinner for 2

This whole menu was created just to try out one of my favorite sauces for ravioli - sun dried tomatoes cooked with smoked Gouda. Since I set out to serve it with an appetizer and a cocktail I didn't find time to make the ravioli - that will be for another time. For this time around I used a store bought 4 cheese stuffed ravioli. But before we get to that, its time for a bellini with bruschetta.

Strawberry Bellini:

Make a puree of strawberry and sugar. If the strawberries are sweet enough then go easy on the sugar.

Mix 2 Tbs of the puree with your choice of sparkling wine and serve.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta:

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes diced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large French baguette, sliced 1-inch thick
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the diced tomatoes, basil leaves, olive oil, and 2 cloves of garlic to a food processor and pulse until it is chunky. Season with salt and pepper.

On a baking sheet, line up baguette slices. Toast in oven for about 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Rub the remaining garlic on the toasted side of each slice and then lay a piece of mozzarella cheese on top. Place bread back in oven and melt cheese slightly, about 45 seconds. Remove from oven and spread one tablespoon of the tomato mixture on each piece and serve.

Ravioli in Smoked Gouda Sauce:

Ingredients:
8 ounces Smoked Gouda cheese
2 Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (2 to 3)
2 cups Milk
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Flour
chopped green onion and tomato for garnish.

Directions:
 
Heat butter in a sauce pan until it melts, whisk in flour and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook for about another 2 minutes until thickened.

Add 8 oz smoked Gouda cheese and 2-3 chopped sun dried tomatoes. Mix on med-low heat until cheese is melted. Pour over stuffed ravioli. Top with chopped green onion and tomato.


bon appetit !!!