No Bake Strawberry Pie

I love it when I ask Bryan if he liked something I make and he says, “It’s okay.” Two seconds later, he’s asking for more.

Why do you want more if it’s merely okay?

I still remember when I was introduced to strawberry pie. It wasn’t this pie, it was one of those baked strawberry pies. One of my best guy friends (who as all teenage girls, I was in love with – my first love actually) was leaving for DC for a week and decided to bring a pie over before he left. We ended up spending 2 hours on the back patio eating this strawberry pie. And it was amazing. The pie was, not the whole scenario because it pretty much was what we did every night for 2 years except we happened to have pie that night.

I still have no clue why he brought the pie. However, ever since that night, strawberry pie is by far my favorite. If there’s a strawberry pie on a menu anywhere (except House of Pies in Houston), I have to try it. My only problem with strawberry pies is that they taste weird when baked. The flavor gets all mushy and muted and a little chemically. In fact, it reminds me of artificial and chemically enhanced strawberry flavors they use in everything – powerade, mio, candy, snow cones, syrup, etc.

I cut the extra sugar down to 1/4 cup. There’s bloody jello in it! And fresh strawberries! Why would I add extra sugar?!?!?! Sometimes recipes do not make sense and I swear the primary purpose is to rot your teeth.

And then I made this pie. It fixed everything baked strawberry pies ruin. So fuck baked, go with no baked…but only with strawberries.

No Bake Strawberry Pie

A 9 inch pie crust (you can make your own, I just haven’t gotten around making my own)
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 pint strawberries, sliced and hulled
1/4 cup strawberry jello
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Bake crust according to directions. Leave out to cool.

In a small saucepan, mix the water, sugar, strawberry jello, and cornstarch under medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching or clumping.

Continue stirring until the glaze starts to boil. Immediately remove from heat and allow to cool.

Stir occasionally as the glaze cools down. The glaze will thicken up a little bit and take on a more translucent reddish pink color.

Dump the sliced strawberries into the cooled pie crust. Pour the glaze over the strawberries. Shake the pie a little to make sure the glaze gets into the nooks and cranies of the pie.

Put in the fridge and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Makes 8. Calories: 110, Carbohydrates: 15 grams, Sugar: 4 grams, Fiber: 1 gram, Protein: 1 gram. 

This pie is vibrant. The color is vibrant. The taste is vibrant. Everything is vibrant.

The sweetness of the strawberry glaze and the tartness of the strawberries elevates the strawberry flavor. It’s like biting into the most perfect strawberry. You know that strawberry that isn’t overly sweet or insanely tart. The perfect combination of juicy flavors overwhelming your senses. And it’s in every single bite. Bite. Burst of strawberry goodness. Bite. Burst of strawberry goodness. It’s continuous explosion of strawberry brings about a cool refreshing taste. Perfect for the summer.

It’s that pie you take to a picnic be it a family picnic or a company one. Or a family reunion. Or a Fourth of July event. Basically any outdoor event that happens in the summer. If you do take it to an event, it won’t last – be it everyone eats it, or you accidently leave it outside for to long due to the glaze. Promise, you won’t leave it outside. This pie deserves better than that.