Strawberry Cream Pie

Why This Recipe Works

This strawberry cream pie starts with a thick layer of my favorite pastry cream, so right off the bat, you know it's going to be good.

Besides being silky smooth and incredibly rich and creamy, this pastry cream is simple to make and remarkably stable. It's rich and thick enough to use as a filling for cream pies, layer cakes and layered pastries like the classic Napoleon dessert.

It's also creamy enough to easily pipe into pastries like eclairs and cream puffs.

Thanks to a bit of gelatin, this pastry cream will hold its own at room temperature for hours without breaking down and, even though some of you might be skeptical, it can be baked inside a pie without curdling.

The pastry cream is loaded into a partially baked bottom pie crust and topped with fresh strawberry filling. The flavors in the strawberry filling concentrate while the pie bakes, giving you a creamy pie that's bursting with fresh, strawberry flavor.

Ingredients Needed to Prepare This Recipe

For the pastry cream layer in this strawberry cream pie, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Unflavored gelatin. Gelatin is an unusual ingredient for pastry cream, but just a teaspoon and a half stabilizes the custard and will keep it from curdling while the pie bakes.
• 6 large egg yolks. See the notes in the recipe card for ideas about what to do with the leftover egg whites.
• Cornstarch. This pastry cream recipe relies on cornstarch to create a rich, pudding-like texture that's thick enough to hold its shape when the pie is sliced.
• Whole milk. You can also use 2%, but whole milk helps create an extra rich and smooth texture.
• Granulated sugar. This recipe calls for ½ cup of sugar which is just enough to sweeten the pastry cream without making it cloyingly sweet.
• Salt. Even in sweet pastries, salt is a super important ingredient because it brings out the flavor of all the other ingredients.
• Pure vanilla extract. Do not use imitation vanilla extract which can leave a weird aftertaste in the finished pie.

For the strawberry pie filling, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Fresh strawberries! This strawberry pie is a delicious way to take full advantage of strawberry season.
• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Lemon extract or Lemon oil. See the notes section in the recipe card below for information about the difference between lemon oil and lemon extract.
• Pure vanilla extract.

You'll also need a pie crust, of course.

• You'll need two pie crusts to make this strawberry pie - one for the bottom crust and one to decorate the top of your pie.
• My favorite pie crust recipe is aptly named Foolproof Pie Crust. This has been my go-to homemade pie crust recipe for over 25 years. The crust is tender, flaky, and flavorful. And, the dough is so easy to work with that it's earned the name "foolproof".

But, if you have a favorite pie crust recipe, please use that. Or, make it easy on yourself and pick up a couple of prepared pie crusts in your supermarket's freezer section.

How to Make This Strawberry Cream Pie

The pie is simple to make, but does require a bit of planning to allow time for the pastry cream, strawberry pie filling, and the freshly baked pie crust too cool.

The pie can easily be made in one day, but one of the best things about it is that each component - the crust, pastry cream and strawberry pie filling - can be made in advance.

• The pastry cream and strawberry pie filling will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Most pie crust recipes, including my favorite Foolproof pie crust, will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 days.

How to Make the Pastry Cream Layer

1. Put the gelatin in a small dish with a bit of water, stir it around to soften it, then set it aside.
2. Add the egg yolks and cornstarch to another bowl and beat with a wire whisk for a few seconds to combine.
3. Set a heat proof measuring cup next to the stovetop, preferably one with a pourable spout.
4. Add the milk, sugar, and salt to a 3-quart or larger heavy bottomed saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat just until it barely begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Pour approximately 1 ½ cups of the hot milk into the measuring cup. Slowly pour the hot milk from the measuring cup into the egg yolks.
6. Spoon the pastry cream back into the saucepan and set it over low heat. (You want to continue to heat the eggs slowly so they won’t scramble.) Cook, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick and begins to boil.
7. As soon as thickens to the consistency of pudding and barely begins to boil, remove from the heat and whisk for about 20 seconds longer. Then, scrape the pastry cream into a bowl.
8. Break the gelatin into small pieces, dropping them onto the hot pastry cream. Let stand for about 20 seconds to let the gelatin to melt, then stir until the gelatin is completely incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days.

How to Make the Strawberry Pie Filling

This strawberry pie filling is a super simple 2-step process:

1. Hull and quarter the strawberries and put them into a medium size heavy bottom saucepan. Add the sugar, cornstarch and salt and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries release some of their juice, the sugar melts, and the resulting syrup is thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon extract and vanilla extract. Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

How to Assemble and Bake Strawberry Cream Pie

1. Roll out and press a pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Follow these instructions to partially pre-bake the crust.

Let the partially baked crust cool for at least 10 minutes before filling.

2. Spoon the pastry cream into the partially baked bottom crust and smooth into an even layer then spoon the strawberry pie filling over the pastry cream.

3. Remove the remaining pie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to ¼-inch thickness. Use any shaped cookie cutter to cut pieces from the dough and place on the top of the pie.

Sprinkle the top of the pie with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

4. Bake for an hour and 10 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown and the strawberry pie filling is bubbling.

Pro tip! Set the pie on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or aluminum foil (to catch any drips) and place in the oven.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting and serving, at least 3 hours.

This strawberry cream pie is delicious served chilled or at room temperature. Store any uneaten pie in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.