Strawberry Lemon Cream Pie

One of my favorite things to do is to reimagine foods as different foods. Whether it’s an iconic dessert as cinnamon rolls, salads as sandwiches, or in this case, a summery drink as a pie. If you were to take strawberry lemonade, but make it pie, this is how I would envision it. Tart bright lemons mixed perfectly with sweet strawberries married together and baked into a 50-50 graham and Nilla wafer crust. I now pronounce you zesty and delicious!

Like with key lime pie, both fresh zest and lemon juice are super important to a truly delicious dessert. Like, don’t make it any other way because pre-bottled lemon juice will absolutely not do this pie any justice. Just trust me. Go with fresh. One thing you definitely CAN substitute is the greek yogurt. In a pinch, I’ve found that sour cream works just as well with great results.

For the puree, make sure you prepare this and allow it to cool before you drizzle it over the filling. I tend to make this to start so it has plenty of time to cool, or even throw it together the night before and refrigerate it until I’m ready to use it.

Stabilized whip cream lasts a whole lot longer than regular whipped cream find my recipe {here} and fold in a few spoonfuls of the strawberry puree to flavor it. Then either pipe it or spread it over the top of the pie before serving. Stabilizing the whipped cream with gelatin will help it stay light and fluffy while holding its shape.

Lastly, if you are eating gluten free, you can always sub this crust for a gluten free one, or make one using gluten free cookies and graham crackers. Just check it sooner because GF cookies tend to burn a bit more easily. Let’s get baking!