No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie

strawberrypieWhen you take peak-season berries and puree them into a pudding-like filling, this very easy confection takes only 15 minutes to put together. Your house will smell like a strawberry patch, I promise! The taste here is just incredible and screams everything that's good about summer.

Ingredients

2 lbs. fresh strawberries (about 4 pints), tops removed, plus 4 strawberries reserved
1-1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Place 2 pounds of strawberries in a blender and blend on high until pureed, about 10 seconds. Combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and whisk until dissolved. Add the strawberry puree and lemon juice. Cook on high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbling (about 7 minutes), remove from heat.

Place graham cracker crumbs in a 10" x 1-1/2" deep pie plate, drizzle with melted butter and mix until the crumbs are moistened. With the back of a spoon, press evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate to form a crust. Pour strawberry filling into crust and let cool completely (about 45 minutes). Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, place heavy cream in a mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, blend on high until stiff peaks form. Add confectioner's sugar and blend another 10 seconds. Using a spatula, spread the whipped cream over the filling. Slice reserved strawberries, add to the top and serve.

– Recipe courtesy of The Noble Pig