This tart is awesome. Trust me. Thats all you need to know.
I’m just kidding. Well, it is awesome but I’ll tell you more about it. The creamy strawberry filling sits on top of a buttery graham cracker crust, and is topped with a dollop of light lemony whipped crème fraîche. Isn’t that just the perfect summer dessert? Plus, its a frozen pie so it will be refreshing during these hot summer days. This is a longer recipe, so it may seem a little scary, but I promise you it isn’t as bad as it seems. And ounce you’ve taken a big bite of it, you will be happy you made it.
Why a Frozen Pie?
Ok, so why is this pie frozen? Well, the short answer is the filling is TOO creamy. Yes, its possible to have a filling be too creamy. If we didn’t freeze this pie, the filling would spill out and make a huge mess. When we freeze it, it makes the filling sturdy and prevent this from happening. However, I recommend letting the pie thaw a little bit before serving. Once the pie has frozen for at least 2 hours, I like to take it out and let it sit at room temperature for around 10 minutes. This way, it will have more flavor, and will still hold its shape.
The Crust
The crust for this tart is just a simple graham cracker crust. I find that the nutty taste of the crust perfectly compliments the strawberry filling. One of the things I love the most about this crust is how it melts in your mouth. It has a crumbly texture so that when you take a bite the flavors explode in your mouth. Yum yum yum! Another great thing about this crust is that it is super quick and easy. You just crush up some graham crackers, mix in melted butter, sugar, and salt, press it into the pan, and pop it into the oven!
The Filling
Now for the star of the show, the strawberry cream filling! There are two components to this filling, the strawberries, and the cream. for the strawberries, we make a simple compote by cooking strawberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch on the stove. Then we pulse it in a food processor and strain it to make it nice and smooth. For the cream, we are just making a simple whipped cream by whipping together cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. To bring this filling together we fold the cooled strawberry compote into the whipped cream to create a light, creamy, pink filling.
Lemon Crème Fraîche Topping
May I present to you the crème fraîche crown of this tart, the lemon cream! When I first made this, I thought it needed something. I must confess however, that the lemon crème fraîche was my dad’s idea. Making the topping is quite similar to making the filling. Except instead of making a compote, we are making a lemon curd. This is done by slowly cooking egg yolks, sugar, lemon, and salt over boiling water. Then we add butter. This will create a thick lemony sauce. Once cooled, we add the curd to the whipped crème fraîche and spoon little dollops all over the top of the tart. I also love to top the tart with some whole strawberries to give it a pop of color.
Strawberries and Cream Frozen Pie
Ingredients
Lemon Curd*
- 4 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about one lemon)
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (around 2-3 lemons)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature and cut into six separate pieces.
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full graham cracker sheets)
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Cream Filling
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons warm water
- 1 lb strawberries hulled and sliced into quarters (you can use frozen, no need to thaw)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 2 Tablespoons lemon curd
- whole strawberries and lemon zest for decoration
Instructions
Start by making the lemon curd*
- Fill a medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Place a large heatproof bowl on top (you may also use a double boiler for this) Let it come to a boil on medium high heat, then reduce to low and allow it to come to a simmer.
- Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the top bowl. Using a silicon whisk*, blendtogether. Cook for 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisking the whole time helps prevent the eggs from curdling. The mixture should have thickened, and will resemble the consistency of Hollandaise sauce. If the mixture is not thickening, turn up the heat, making sure you are still constantly whisking.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and immediately whisk in the 6 pieces of butter. The remaining heat of the curd will melt the butter. Pour the finished curd into a glass jar or bowl. Cover the top of the curd with cling wrap, making sure the cling wrap is touching the surface of the curd. This prevents a skin from forming as the curd cools. It will thicken as it cools, so do not be alarmed if it seems thin now. Allow the covered curd to chill in the refrigerator until we use it in the final step. We only use a little bit of the curd, so the extra will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- If you are starting with full graham cracker sheets, begin by crushing them using either a food processor or a zip top bag and a rolling pin. You want it to be fine, with no big clumps.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. The mixture should be thick and sandy. Press this into a 9 inch tart pan, making sure it is very compact. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to make sure it is tightly packed into the pan. This also helps make make it even.
- Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned and hardened. Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling wrack to cool completely in the pan.
Next Make the Strawberry Filling
- Start by whisking the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until combined and the cornstarch is dissolved. I use a fork to do this. Add the strawberries, granulated sugar, and the cornstarch mixture to a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Try to break up the strawberries as you do this.
- Let the mixture come to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, remove from the heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While the mixture is still warm, pour it into a small food processor. Pulse until smooth. I like to run it through a sieve to get rid of most of the seeds. The mixture should now be smooth and thin. Let it cool in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes while we prepare the cream.
- In a medium bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, Whip the heavy cream, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt together on medium high speed using the whisk attachment. You want stiff peaks, which will take around 3 minutes. If you do not have a mixer you can use a whisk and do it by hand, it just might take a little bit longer.
- Fold half of the cooled strawberry mixture into the whipped cream until combined. Then fold in the second half. We do this in batches so we do not deflate the whipped cream. The filling should be soft and fluffy.
- Pour the finished filling into the cooled crust and, using a spatula or an offset spatula, smooth out the top. Place the tart in the freezer and let it freeze for at least two hours before moving on.
Finally, Make the Lemon Topping
- In a small bowl using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the crème fraîche until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 Tablespoons of the lemon curd until combined. Mixture will be thin. Spoon dollops of the topping on the top of the frozen pie. Top with whole strawberries. Serve immediately and freeze leftovers. Pie keeps frozen for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
