Jello Strawberry Pie (no bake filling)
When faced with seasonal fresh strawberries, this strawberry jello pie is a crowd-pleaser that will disappear quickly! With a flaky crust, a sweet, well-balanced filling and lots of strawberry flavor, it keeps well for several days. If you're apprehensive about using gelatin, don't be, this recipe is great for beginners.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 recipe for Flaky Pie Crust or Sweet Shortcrust Pastry if you like a sweeter dessert, fully baked
- or use a store-bought one preferably all-butter
For the filling:
- 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries 25 ounces weighed after hulled (about 1.8 pounds or 830g if weighed whole)
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons strawberry jello powder 1.4 ounces
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For the topping:
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 8 whole or halved strawberries
Instructions
For the crust:
- Prepare 1 recipe for Flaky Pie Crust, another favorite crust or use a store-bought one.
- Roll the pie dough on a lightly floured surface and line an 8-inch pie plate. Prick the bottom with a fork and put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) while the dough chills.
- Put a large piece of foil or parchment paper on top of the dough and fill with weight, this might be ceramic weights, dried legumes, dry rice, even flour. Something that can go into the oven and adds weight so that the crust doesn't rise and puff up while baking.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until you can easily lift the paper and remove the weight. You will see that the dough is white and starting to dry out.
- Bake for a further 10-15 minutes, until golden and dried. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
For the filling:
- Wash, dry and hull 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries. Cut them into chunks and put them in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 cup sugar on top of the berries. Mix lightly and let macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the strawberries to a colander that is placed over a bowl and let the juice from the strawberries drain for about 15 minutes. Have ready a large bowl with ice and water.
- Stir the juice collected in the bowl with half of the water (½ cup). Sprinkle 5 tablespoons strawberry jello powder on top and stir until it's completely dissolved.
- Dissolve the other ½ cup of water and 3 tablespoons cornstarch in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.
- Add the gelatin mixture, and start whisking. Cook until it thickens, stirring or whisking all the time, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom and adjusting the heat if it's too high. Remove when it comes to a soft boil and whisk quickly until completely smooth.
- Put in the ice water bowl in the same saucepan if it fits or transfer the jello mixture to a medium bowl. I usually use the same bowl from the strawberry juice.
- Whisk regularly while the mixture cools down and starts to thicken, but just until it's like thick syrup. Important: don't let it set too much because you won't be able to mix it with the fruit!
- Add the strawberries to the gelatin mixture, stir to coat and pour into the baked pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap or a freezer sheet and refrigerate until completely set.
For the topping:
- Beat ¾ cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons cream cheese and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar in a large bowl.
- When you start to have medium stiff peaks, change to a hand whisk and beat until you have stiff peaks. This is the best way to avoid overbeating and curdling the preparation.
- Put in a piping bag and make rosettes on top of the pie. Decorate with 8 whole or halved strawberries.
Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Strawberries: use fresh ones. This pie is just not the same with frozen berries. I did try using frozen, and you can thaw them and use the water as part of the cornstarch gelatin mixture. But the flavor is just not there completely. And the appearance of shriveled strawberries is not very appealing either. So I don't recommend them. If you only have frozen, I suggest making a different dessert, like the Strawberry Crisp recipe, or using them for our wonderful Strawberry Sauce and topping a cheesecake.
Gelatin: my number one tip for working with this ingredient which many feel is difficult, is to beware of the temperatures of the strawberry preparation when adding the gelatin. That said, this recipe makes it easier because it's all dissolved and mixed before heating it. So there's less room for issues.
Citrus: using orange or lime juice instead of lemon is an alternative as they pair very well with strawberries.
