Strawberry Pistachio Ice Box Pie
Get creative with your toppings! I like to use fresh and crumbles of freeze dried strawberries.
Strawberry Pistachio Ice Box Pie
For the final installment of Strawberry Week, we’re going old school with this strawberry pistachio ice box pie for Pi(e) Day! Here in the South, we have a tradition of serving ice box pies and cakes when the whether is warm. Essentially, it’s a dessert that can be assemble, chilled, or frozen. Hence, it’s the perfect thing to make on a warm day because there’s no baking required!
For this ice box pie, I make a simple crust of graham crackers and pistachios that are blended together with melted butter and sugar. The crust gets pressed into a springform pan to hold it’s shape. Then, I cook fresh strawberries into a jam with a little bit of sugar. You can easily use frozen strawberries but I am up to my elbows in fresh ones from Plant City at the moment. Worst case scenario, you can use a good quality strawberry jam; just be sure to skip the extra sugar used to cook the fresh or frozen berries.
You can easily substitute any kind of nut or fruit to make this ice box pie. Some other combinations that would be wonderful include:
Pecan crust with cranberry filling
Almond crust with orange or lemon filling
Walnut crust with pomegranate filling
Ingredients for the Crust
9 graham crackers (1 sleeve)
1 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients for the Filling
24 ounces fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved
Zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, divided
1, 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Ingredients for the Garnish
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
8 ounces fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved
1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberry crumbles
Special Equipment
9-inch spring form pan
* If using all frozen strawberries, you only need 24 ounces to make the jam. I would try and use a few fresh strawberries for the topping.
Makes 1 9-inch pie, Good for 6-8 people
Directions for the Crust
In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, pistachios, brown and dark brown sugar. Pulse in the food processor until to break up into small crumbles. Then, add in the melted butter and pulse a few more times. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy.
Pour the crumbles into the spring form pan. Using a measuring cup or small Mason jar, pat the crust into the pan until the mixture is flat and no longer crumby/crumbly. You don’t want the crust to climb up the sides of the pan.
Directions for the Filling
In a small sauce pan, combine the berries, sugar, and lemon zest. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on and stir often it so it doesn’t burn. Towards the end of cooking, small with a fork until you get a nice, jammy texture. Transfer to a small bowl. You can either chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or chill in an ice bath.
In a stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream with one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste until you get stiff peaks. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese with the paddle attachment for three minutes or until fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk until the two come together.
Fold in the cooled strawberry jam to the cream cheese mixture with a rubber spatula. Then, fold in the whipped cream just until combined. Do not over mix. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread out the filling. Tap the spring form pan on the table a few times to remove any air bubbles. Cover with foil or plastic wrap.
Freeze for eight hours or overnight. Once frozen, allow to stand at room temperature for ten minutes to make it easier to cut. Prior to serving, whip the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, and confectioner’s sugar until you get stiff peaks. Dress the pie with freeze dried strawberries and fresh berries. Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream!