Cool summertime desserts remind me of sun-filled afternoons where days wasted away under breezy shade trees. Stills of my Nana cooking in her sunny, yellow kitchen were photographed in time, tucked away in memories. She'd slice strawberries over a metal bowl atop yellow speckled Formica countertops. White eyelet drapes adorned the window above the sink, and there she spent many hours creating a beautiful mess. Outside the screen door small sparrows chirped their excitement over the possibility of catching some discarded pie crumbs. The kitchen was warm, always warm, air conditioned only by the swamp-cooler in the adjacent living room. A steady squeak from the metal fan accompanied the low hum of the window unit--these were the sounds of summer at the old house. She busied herself inside that kitchen day after day, summer after summer, baking fresh fruit pies, curating cold salads, and blending peach milkshakes made from homemade ice cream and fresh picked peaches: all delicacies worthy of praise. But my favorite goody was her Strawberry Silk Pie. I'd wait hours for it to set, quietly opening the icebox, careful to make sure Nana wasn't watching, just so that I could sneak a taste. I'd carefully dip the tip of my fingertip into the gelatin and hurriedly lick it off hoping that I didn't get caught. I'd try to cover up the evidence by holding each side of the pie plate and slightly shifting it from side to side to smooth the mark before scurrying away. I am blessed to have such a wonderful lady as my mentor. I learned the basics of cooking from my sweet Nana: as a little girl, I'd watch, mesmerized by quick hands, wrinkled and worn from love's diligent duties. She baked happiness, authenticated by tastebuds.
At 104, Nana is no longer able to make these delights, but keeping with tradition, I attempt to bake happiness into summer, too.
Nana's Strawberry Silk Pie:
Ingredients:
1- nine inch Baked Pie Shell
1 cup granulated sugar
2 pints fresh strawberries
Directions:
1. Bake pie crust into a 9 inch pie shell. Because I'm not nearly as awesome as Nana, I cheated and bought the Pillsbury Pie Dough instead of making the pie crust from scratch. Shhh, don't tell. ;)
2. Blend softened cream cheese, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and whipping cream together. Once pie crust has completely cooled, spread cream cheese mixture on bottom of the pie shell and set aside.
3. In a small bowl sift together sugar and cornstarch.
4. Next wash and hull berries. Divide the strawberries into two equal parts.
5. Place "choice" berries on top of coated pie shell.
6. Mash and strain the other half until juice is well extracted. (Note: I actually mashed and strained the berries, old school style. Afterwards, it occurred to me that I could have used my juicer. You just want the fresh juice from the strawberries--how you get it doesn't matter.)
7. Pour juice into sauce pan and bring to a boil. Slowly stir in sugar and cornstarch mixture.
8. Cook slowly for about 10-12 minutes. (This is the tricky part. You want the mixture to thicken, but still be able to pour-ish over pie.) Cool and spread over fresh strawberries in pie shell. Place pie in refrigerator until pie sets and is very cold. Garnish with whipping cream over top. (Use cool whip if short on time.)
Note: As you can see, my silk was a bit too silky. (Told you that was the tricky part!) The strawberry mixture needed to cook a tad longer. This pic was taken from my first attempt earlier in the summer, but I made it again this week and it turned out much better. Practice makes perfect, right?
