Collegiate Times

Image: 2012-10-02 20:04:06

The black pepper in the crust of this pie is not meant to be spicy or powerful. Instead, it simply provides a savory element, giving the pie a more robust flavor. This strawberry pie is one last dessert to end the warm weather before it gets too cold.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of strawberries

24 graham crackers

6 ounces of unsalted butter

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground

1 lemon

5 tablespoons of sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the graham crackers in a large plastic bag and crush them until they are finely ground, about the consistency of sand. Add two tablespoons of sugar, the black pepper and a pinch of salt.

2. Melt the butter and add it to the graham cracker mixture and combine.

3. Press the graham cracker mixture into an eight or nine inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes. Rest the crust for one hour.

4. Roughly chop one pound of the strawberries. Add them to a sauce-pot with two tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of sugar. Simmer them over low heat for 15 minutes. Most of the water from this should evaporate. Allow it to cool to room temperature before adding to the pie.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with two tablespoons of water. Add two tablespoons of sugar and the zest of the lemon. Add the juice of the lemon as well, taking care to keep the seeds out of the bowl.

6. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Split the remaining pound of strawberries and layer them on top of the cream cheese. Finally, pour the cooked strawberries overtop the pie. 

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 3 issue of the Collegiate Times.