Strawberry Lemonade Pie

This is going to be a quick one because the Masters are on tv, and we all know how fast golf moves. If I look away for a second I could miss…someone lining up a putt.

Really this is a quick one because the last couple days of lectures have fried my brains. And we’re learning about brains! What a coincidence!

This pie is perfect for a spring gathering, whether that happens to be Easter, Passover, or your baseball opening day party. I made one to bring to Seder tonight, so I used an all-almond crust. You could certainly make a graham crust instead, that would be yums.

I adapted a unique recipe for key lime pie…super simple with all the classic ingredients, except with some beaten egg whites. The pie spends a few minutes in an oven to set the filling, then a night in the fridge to get perfectly chilled.

Pretty colors and bright flavors…what else do you need for spring?

Strawberry Lemonade Pie with Almond Crust

Makes one 9-inch pie

For crust

2 cups raw almonds, toasted for 5 minutes

1/4 cup sugar

6 TBS unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For filling

3 large eggs, separated

1 large whole egg

1/2 cup lemon juice

Zest of 1 large lemon

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

6 medium to large strawberries, hulled

1 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Make crust – Preheat oven to 350F with a rack in the middle position.  In a food processor, process the almonds until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Using a fork, toss the almonds with the sugar and butter until combined. Press the mixture into a 9-inch glass pie plate, making sure it’s evenly distributed up the sides of the pan. Bake crust for 12-14 minutes until fragrant. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
2. Make filling – purée the strawberries and 1 tsp sugar until smooth. Set aside.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 325F. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1 whole egg until slightly thickened. Whisk in the condensed milk, then the lemon juice and zest.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the whites into the lemon mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Drizzle the strawberry purée over the lemon filling, then lightly drag a thin knife through the filling to swirl colors together. Bake pie for 13-15 minutes until barely set. Let pit cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Pie should keep, covered and refrigerated, for 2 days.

Filling recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Happy Passover, happy Easter, and happy weekend! Thanks for reading, happy baking!