Strawberry Chiffon Pie
makes 1 (9-inch) pie
Recipe from Barbara Kafka
This is a simply beautiful dessert. It takes a long time to complete, but it's worth it if you have a day to keep watch before a big dinner party. The strawberries on top are striking.
This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.
ingredients
Crust:
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 thumb fresh ginger root (l"x l"), peeled and diced
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cake flour
1 large egg plus 1 egg white
1/3 cup melted butter (5 1/3 tablespoons cold), cooled to room temperature, plus small amount to butter pan
Filling:
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups strawberry purée, made from 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries in syrup, drained and then puréed
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Garnish:
1 to 2 pints strawberries, washed and hulled
Red currant jelly
timer
prep: 1 hour 5 minutes
total: 1 hour 20 minutes
tools
9-inch glass pie pan
zester (or grater)
food processor
pastry brush
mixing bowls
whisk
instructions
1. The crust: Place rack in lower third of oven and heat to 450F. Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool.
2. Place the zest, ginger and sugar in a food processor and process until well combined, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add both flours and pulse to combine.
3. Add the egg and process just to combine. With machine running, slowly pour in the butter. Process just until dough comes together and begins to form a ball. It will be slightly oily. Remove it from processor and, with the tips of your fingers, gently press onto bottom and sides of the pie pan until you have an even crust. Prick the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. Do not weight.
4. Place pan in oven for 10 minutes. Lightly beat the egg white. Remove pan. Reduce heat to 350F. Brush crust with beaten egg white. Bake for 5 minutes more. Remove and let cool completely on a rack while preparing filling.
5. The filling: Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soak for 5 minutes. Place the mixture over low heat and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.
6. When the gelatin and strawberry puree are at the same temperature, stir the gelatin into the strawberries. Then, stir in the lemon juice.
7. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Gradually beat in the sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Stir about one quarter of the egg whites into the strawberry gelatin mixture. Begin folding in the remaining egg whites but do not fold them in completely.
8. Beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold it into the strawberry mixture until everything is smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture into the baked crust. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
9. The topping: Beat the cream and sugar until stiff. Spread over the strawberry filling.
10. If the strawberries are small, cover the entire surface with them so no cream shows. If the berries are large, slice them thinly and arrange the slices overlapping in concentric circles.
