Saying happy 4th of July with this Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie never tasted so sweet. And with all going on in this crazy world today, that’s saying a lot. But this deserves all the praise it gets. It’s easy to throw together. No making or rolling pie crust. Check. It uses the best of the season, gorgeous summer strawberries. And is nice and chilled for these hot summer days. And and there are two popular summer treat bonuses in here, the combo of lemonade and pretzels. Yup, you read right. I threw some pretzels in the crust just for fun and because why not. And the filling takes on notes of fresh strawberry lemonade with a big kick of fresh lemon zest and juice. This is good. really good. My husband had two servings good. (He’s a chocolate or nothing guy.)
Let’s start with the simple crust. Think easy graham cracker crust but with a twist. In fact, the original recipe from Food Network mag used graham crackers, so you can definitely go that way if that’s what you have. But since graham crackers aren’t sold here in Istanbul (I know, crazy,) I went with what I did have and am really glad for that. Because the flavors of the slightly sweet biscuit cookie (think Petit Beurre shortbread or like a vanilla wafer) and the lightly salted pretzels is delicious and works so perfectly. In fact, going forward I will go with this combo even if I’m back home and can indeed get grahams. Don’t worry graham crackers, nothing can replace you when it comes to s’mores.
Now let’s talk filling. Just look at that luscious pink goodness. I dare you not to be tempted to just eat it right out of the bowl once it’s done. My kids definitely went to town on every last drop left once I filled the pie.
It all starts with some fresh chopped strawberries, a little sugar and water. You cook that down for about five minutes till it’s nice and syrupy and pulpy. You strain the heck out of it to get as much of the strawberry through. Then in a separate bowl, you whip up some fresh cream to nice and medium peaks and chill that while you blend together a little cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and fresh lemon zest and juice and combine that with the strawberry puree.
Then you get folding and this part is important. Emphasis on the word folding. You want to gently combine (fold) the strawberry cream cheese mixture with the whipped cream with a spatula without deflating that nicely aerated cream. That’s where the pie gets it’s fluffiness without being icy. Then pop that in the freezer for a couple hours. And to finish it all off, some more fresh strawberries take a quick dip in some warmed jam (strawberry or rasberry are great) then top the pie for a beautiful finale and some nice texture contrast.
I can’t tell you how happy I am that I hoarded saved my old Food Network Magazine summer issue. (English magazines are crazy expensive here and hard to find,) so any time my mom would bring me one, I’d keep it nice and safe like the prized possession it is. And I had remembered this pie I came across in last summer’s issue but never got a chance to try. And wow. it delivered and will most definitely be a part of my staple summer recipe collection. I think next go, I’m may give it a little blueberry spin.
Try this try this try this. You will be glad you did. And please do let me know how it goes and give a shout out here or on Insta. Happy 4th of July!
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie
The most perfect summer dessert. Cold, refreshing and sugar-kissed from one of the season's star fruits. Doesn't get better than that.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup (140g) crushed cookies (shortbread, vanilla wafers or graham crackers) (about 8 graham crackers sheets)
- 1/2 cup (45g) crushed pretzels
- 2 tbsps granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 7 tbsps (98g) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cups (240g) chopped fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 3/4 cup (229g) sweetened condensed milk, cold
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
For the topping:
- 3 tbsps strawberry or raspberry jam
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved and some left whole if desired to decorate
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350F/ 177C. Pulse the cookies, pretzels and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add the salt and melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and set, 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
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Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring the strawberries, sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is syrupy and the fruit is very soft, 4 to 5 minutes, crushing the fruit as much as possible as it cooks. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on the solids with a rubber spatula to get the most out of the strawberries. (save the solids for a smoothie or to spread on a piece of toast.) Let the strawberry mixture cool in the refrigerator.
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Then in a large bowl, using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or beaters of a handheld mixer, beat the heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the rest.
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If the cream cheese is a little stiff, let it soften at room temperature a bit longer. Then beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the cold condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add the strawberry puree, the lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until smooth.
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Gently fold the strawberry cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream using a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. (be sure not to deflate the cream.) Spoon the filling into the crust and spread with the back of a spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
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Make the topping: Heat the jam over low heat until runny, 20 to 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Add the strawberries and gently stir to coat. Let macerate 10 to 15 minutes. Then about 10 minutes before serving, remove the pie from the freezer to soften slightly. Remove the tart from the pan and transfer to a plate. Top with the strawberry mixture. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Remove the pie from the freezer and let it sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.
*Fresh strawberries are the best for this and will give the most flavor.
*You can omit the pretzels and instead use 186 grams of all cookie crumbs but the pretzels add a little something special.
*Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network Magazine.
