When I think back on some of the most beloved recipes, they’re pretty simple, but they bring back the fondest memories.
Our cousins were the best! They were fun and older but still dragged us along to all the fun places. They taught us how to play poker, drive a car (well, kinda:). They played soccer, skied, rode motorcycles, surfed… they were the coolest cousins. I believed everything they told me. I didn’t find out until years later that the scar on Lisa's leg wasn’t actually from a shark bite!
Through all that craziness, our parents were laughing around the table, sharing great food and listening to our wild stories as we ran in and out of the house. There were 6 of them and 5 of us. We loved going to Aunt Ilene and Uncle Bob’s. It was homey and comfortable, and we felt we could be ourselves. There was always plenty of food and enough people to keep us busy, laughing, and eating.
And how special is this pie?
It’s all about the crust! This crust, combined with fresh spring strawberries, is the perfect combination of deliciousness. We could hardly wait for spring each year, because that meant strawberry pie with the coconut crust!
A huge hug to my Aunt Ilene for sharing this recipe with us! I may have added vanilla;).
Ingredients:
Coconut Shortbread Crust:
· 1/3 cup butter
· 3 TBSP of sugar
· 1 egg yolk
· 2 tsp of vanilla
· 1 cup flour
· 1 cup coconut
Instructions:
1. Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk , vanilla, and blend.
2. Add in the Coconut and flour, mixing all together.
3. Pat the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and chill for 30 minutes
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Pie filling:
· ½ cup water
· 1 cup sliced strawberries
· 1 ½ cups whole strawberries
· 1 cup sugar
· 3 TBSP Cornstarch
· 1/3 cup water
· 2 tsp of vanilla
· 2 Tbsp lemon juice
· Red food coloring (Optional)
Instructions:
1. Simmer together ½ cup water and 1 cup sliced strawberries and vanilla.
2. Blend cornstarch and 1/3 cup water and 1 cup sugar and add it to the simmering strawberry mixture. Boil until thickened.
3. Add lemon juice and red food color. Coat the crust with the thickened strawberry sauce before putting in the fresh whole strawberries.
4. Add a little more of the thickened sauce over the top of the fresh strawberries
5. Serve with whipped cream.
