Strawberry Lovers’ Strawberry Chiffon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust and Shaved White Chocolate

To download a copy of the recipe for Strawberry Lovers’ Strawberry Chiffon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust and Shaved White Chocolate, click HERE. 

With the warm weather now upon us, a cool and refreshing dessert seemed like a good idea. That’s where Strawberry Lovers’ Strawberry Chiffon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust and Shaved White Chocolate comes in. Rather than being made with boxed flavored gelatin, or even unflavored gelatin mixed with fruit juice, this chiffon gets its deeper flavor by using fresh-made strawberry puree.

Another plus: reducing the fat by making the chiffon with non-fat powdered milk instead of the usual packaged whipped topping, and using low-fat graham crackers to form the crust. 

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• When forming the pie shell, be sure to press the graham cracker mixture down tight enough to prevent it from falling apart when sliced.

• Much credit to the American Heart Association for publishing recipes that show how easy it is to use non-fat powdered milk to create a fluffy, guilt-free chiffon.

This recipe makes one very delicious 9” pie.

Here’s what you’ll need.

For the graham cracker crust: 1 cup low-fat graham cracker crumbs (about 12 crackers); 3 Tbsp sugar; 3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp butter substitute, melted and warm; pinch ground cinnamon; and a pinch ground nutmeg.

For the strawberry topping: ½ cup sugar; juice of ½ lemon; ½ lb. hulled fresh strawberries; pinch dry rosemary; salt; and ½ Tbsp firm-textured butter substitute.

For the strawberry chiffon: 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1/4 ounce); 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and rough-chopped; ½ cup sugar, divided; ½ cup non-fat dry milk; and the juice of one lemon.

For the garnish: shaved white chocolate.

To prepare the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the graham crackers in a food storage bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and, using a rolling pin, crush to a sand-like consistency.

Place the crushed graham crackers in a bowl, add the remaining crust ingredients, and mix well. The finished mixture should have the consistency of wet sand.

Spread the batter out in a 9” pie tin. Press down using your fingers or the flat bottom of a glass. (Reserve any leftover graham cracker mixture for use as a garnish on the finished pie.)

Bake until light brown and firm, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

While the pie shell is baking, prepare the strawberry topping as follows:

After placing a small glass plate in the freezer, place ½ cup of sugar and the juice of ½ lemon into a medium saucepan. Mix until combined, then cook over a low heat until the sugar mixture is melted.

Crush ½ pound of hulled strawberries by hand into the saucepan. (Crushing by hand will give the finished topping a lightly chunky texture.) Add a pinch of rosemary, salt, and ½ Tbsp of butter substitute. Cook to a thick but spreadable texture. (You can check the thickness of the cooled liquid by placing a few drops of the hot liquid onto the plate you put in the freezer and letting it cool.) When the topping has the desired texture, set aside to cool until needed.

To make the chiffon filling:

Using a blender or food processor, puree the chopped strawberries completely. (This should make about 3 cups of puree.)

Place a bowl, mixer blades, and 1 cup of the puree in the freezer until very cold.

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of puree to a boil.

Pour into a bowl, add the gelatin and stir.

Add ¼ cup sugar, and stir well. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes.

Place the non-fat dry milk and ice-cold puree in a mixing bowl.

Beat on high speed 3-4 minutes, or until soft peaks form.

Add lemon juice and continue beating. Gradually add ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.

Gently mix the cooled gelatin mixture into the beaten dry milk mixture.

To complete and serve the pie:

Pour the filling into pie shell, cover and refrigerate three hours or until firm.

(If there’s leftover chiffon mixture after filling the pie shell, pour it into cups and chill along with the pie until firm. It makes a great dessert treat!)

After the chiffon pie and topping have cooled, gently spread the topping over the chiffon.

If you like, sprinkle some of the leftover graham cracker mixture over the top of the pie. Garnish with shaved white chocolate to serve.

To download a copy of the recipe for Strawberry Lovers’ Strawberry Chiffon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust and Shaved White Chocolate, click HERE.

Wishing you all a great, refreshing start to the summer season!

Please visit again next week for another delightful treat for your cooking and eating pleasure!  Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)