Strawberry Icebox Pie
It’s no secret that we love our Icebox pies in the South. There are few things more satisfying on a scorching summer day!
Speaking of heat, did you know there is a charming small town in South Louisiana called Ponchatoula? Hello to any “Ponchys” reading this! My favorite thing about Ponchatoula is their annual strawberry festival. When I was living in New Orleans, I would visit this festival to enjoy strawberry confections and a fresh strawberry daiquiri (or two 😉). In my view, you can’t go wrong anytime there are fresh strawberries and a parade to be enjoyed. Learn more about the festival here .
Going back a few years to my youth, everyone seemed to make a strawberry pie that involved whole or sliced strawberries and strawberry flavored Jello. Y’all gelatin is good for you and all but there are other ingredients in store-bought Jello that ain’t so great! Hint: Sugar is the MAIN ingredient. Though I must admit these strawberry pies that utilized Jello as a base were pretty tasty....
So I’ve come up with a much cleaner version that is just as delicious and doesn’t involve loads of sugar. Both light and luscious, this pie is a crowd pleaser. Especially if you top it with some whipped cream or coconut whipped cream!
Pie Filling
Yield: One 9'' pie
Ingredients:
8 c of strawberries, sliced and divided
¾ c water
⅓ c brown sugar
4 T arrowroot powder
1 t lemon juice
1 pie crust**
coconut whipped cream for topping, optional
Process:
Remove hulls and cut strawberries in halves lengthwise.
Arrange 6 cups of strawberries in a pre-baked pie crust.
In a blender puree the remaining 2 cups of strawberries with water, sugar, arrowroot, and lemon juice until smooth.
Transfer pureed strawberry mixture into a small saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking almost constantly, until mixture thickens significantly. 5 - 7 minutes.
Working quickly remove from heat and pour mixture into pie with pre-arranged strawberries.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Serve cold from the “Icebox” and enjoy!
Paleo Pie Crust
Yield: 1 pie crust suitable for a 9” pie pan
Ingredients:
1 c almond flour
1 c tapioca flour
1/3 c arrowroot
½t sea salt
1/4 c coconut oil, melted
¼ c warm water
Process:
Lightly grease pie pan with coconut oil and set aside.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt coconut oil and stir into dry ingredients.
If desired, you can use a pastry blender or fork to further combine oil with dry ingredients.
Next add warm water until you reach desired consistency. You may need to add an extra 1 - 2 T or possibly more.
Form dough into a ball and then flatten and press into a greased 9’’ pie pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes.
Allow to cool fully before adding the pie filling.
Notes: This Paleo Pie Crust will not brown much. If you can tolerate butter, use it in place of the coconut oil, as the milk solids will help the crust to brown. *To make this recipe nut free, you will need to use an alternate crust.
About this recipe:
vegan paleo vegetarian dairy free egg free nut free* grain free gluten free
** A NOTE ON PIE CRUSTS: My all time favorite GF pie crust recipe can be found in my cookbook and will have the most traditional taste and texture of my pie crust recipes. However, the paleo pie crust recipe included here is a simple, press-in crust and is completely dairy free! If you are really short on time, many grocery stores now sell frozen gluten free pie crusts.