Growing up there was one dessert that always stood out from all of my mom's famous desserts and that was her Strawberry Custard Cream Pie. She learned to make this pie from a Mexican cook that would broadcast recipes over the radio for the listeners to write down. This pie was so yummy, I still remember requesting it for my birthday.
As the years went by, somehow the recipe was lost in one of our moves. Mom tried recreating it once, but it just didn't taste the same. A few months ago, I was craving this pie so badly I could literally taste it. I thought to myself, I have a food blog.. I can do this this!
So I daringly attempted to recreate the famous, lost Strawberry Custard Cream Pie recipe at home. My starting point was everything I could remember about the pie...
Pie crust, a strawberry custard filling , fresh strawberries and lots of Cool Whip (mom didn't use whipped cream back then, Cool Whip was cheaper )
I found a good basic custard recipe (originally for a banana cream pie), added strawberries, replaced the Cool Whip with heavy whipping cream and used an organic pie crust that I love. When the pie was finished, I brought it to a family dinner and waited for the reactions...
My sister Miriam was the first to say, "Did you find mom's recipe?" SCORE! I knew I had it when I took the first bite...
I did my second test run of the recipe this past weekend, made one or two minor adjustments and bingo! Mom's pie was back and even better!
This pie is delicious. Everything you want in a cream pie; creamy, fluffy, full of strawberry flavor. The perfect pie for strawberry season. I brought some to a party and not a single piece was left. I had to keep myself from taking a second piece, trust me I wanted it! So I guess I will need to make another two very, very soon!
Of all the recipes I'm proud to call my own, this has to be at the top of the list. I hope you give it a try.
Happy Cooking Everyone
The Perfect Strawberry Custard Cream Pie
Make two 9" pies
Ingredients:
2 premade pie crusts
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sweet cream butter, softened
1 cup of chopped strawberries
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
10 strawberries, cut in 1/2 for decoration
Directions
Prep work:
1. Bake Premade crust per directions on package and set to cool. Make sure you poke holes with a fork for venting.
Most Pre-make crust taste ok, but this brand is absolutely delicious. Tastes like you made it yourself.. super flakey
2. Whip 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream until soft peaks have formed. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar and whip to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Chop strawberries into small pieces to equal one cup chopped (about 7-8 large berries). Place on a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Filling layer #1
1. Bring milk to a boil. Do not let it spill over. Once boiled, set as side.
2 . In a heavy pot, add egg yokes, brown sugar, white sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk together.
3. Add 1/4 cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture. Whisk together quickly so it doesn't scramble the eggs. Add another 1/4 cup of milk, and continue whisking. Repeat until you are out of milk.
4. Put the egg mixture on the stove at medium heat. Continue to whisk.
5. Once the mixture begins to boil it will become really thick, continue to whisk for another minute or two until all liquid had turned into a thick velvety mixture. Remove from stove.
6. Whisk in vanilla and set aside for 5 minutes.
7. After 5 minutes, add the butter cut into small cubes. Whisk until completely melted.
8. Pour the custard in to a glass bowl and cover with either plastic wrap or parchment paper. Put into refrigerator for 1-2 hours, till custard is chilled. (the custard can be chilled up 3 days)
9. Once custard has cooled , beat with electric mixer for 4-5 minutes to get nice and creamy.
10. Add 1/2 cup of custard to the bottle of each pie crust.
Filling layer #2
1. Take the remaining custard, and beat in 2 cups of the heavy whipping cream you prepared earlier and add one drop of red food dye for color, just until blended (approx. 1 minute). Do not over beat or it will break down the cream.
2. Add 1 cup of chopped strawberries. Mix until blended, but do not over mix or it will breakdown the cream.
3. Divide the filling between both pies
Filling Layer #3
1. Take the remaining whipped cream and divide between both pies.
2. Decorate with the strawberries you cut in half.
Chill pie for at least 3 hours, honestly the longer this pie chills the better the flavor.
