Strawberries and Cream Pie

It’s finally starting to feel like summertime!! What better way to celebrate than with a beautiful summer Strawberries & Cream Pie with California Strawberries?!

The ingredients in this Strawberries and Cream Pie:

California Strawberries

Graham Wafers (optional gluten-free)

Butter or Vegan Butter

Full Fat Coconut Milk

Almond Milk (or cashew milk)

Honey or Maple Syrup

Cornstarch

Vanilla

Salt

California Strawberries

How To Make This Delicious California Strawberries and Cream Pie

The crust is only 2 ingredients, and is so simple to whip up using only graham crackers and butter! This tart base is perfect for all kinds of recipes! Tarts are traditionally made with pie crust, but they are A LOT more work. This crust is mixed together and then pressed into a tart tin. EASY PEASY.

After the crust is complete, make sure to poke holes into the bottom of the crust with a fork. When you remove the crust from the oven it may bubble up slightly with air, I use the bottom of a glass to push it down and make sure everything is even and flat.

It is quite a delicate pastry to work with and can be prone to cracking, but you can just press it back together if it does, no harm done.

For the pastry cream, the combination of full-fat coconut milk and almond milk gives a really smooth, creamy result. With cornstarch to thicken it a bit, and maple syrup to naturally sweeten the pie. This vegan California strawberry tart is the perfect Summery dessert to end a garden party or barbecue with; it goes wonderfully with a glass of champagne or rosé! We may only be enjoying Spring here in Canada, but these California strawberries are getting me VERY excited about summer!

NOTES

Make sure you let the pie sit in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours, but preferably overnight!

Get yourself a tart pan with a removable bottom! It was very easy to get the pie out once it was finished, but without the removable bottom, this would have definitely been a two-person job!

Use California strawberries! California strawberries are in peak season and readily available right now (and when local strawberries are off-season!). Did you know that California strawberries are an excellent source of fibre and vitamin C? In fact, they have the same amount of vitamin C as an orange!

The best part about this tart is you can prepare everything the night before, toss it in the refrigerator overnight, and it’s ready to go the next day! It’s a gorgeous dessert that’s perfect for a fancy night when you have friends over or a great dish to bring to your next BBQ.

RECIPE

CRUST

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (GF if you’re celiac or intolerant to gluten)

1 cup vegan butter (melted)

CREAM FILLING

1 can full-fat coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand)

3/4 cup almond milk

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup cornstarch

TOPPING

Fresh California strawberries

Mint leaves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan with coconut oil or vegan butter.

CRUST

Using a food processor, blend graham crackers until they are very fine. Then add melted vegan butter and pulse to combine.
Distribute evenly in tart pan and press down with the bottom of a glass to flatten. The dough should be pressed up and around the edges of the tart pan, otherwise, the filling may not set properly and may spill out the sides.
Poke holes in crust with a fork to release air so the crust doesn’t bubble. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately press down with the bottom of glass again to flatten crust. Set aside to cool.

FILLING

In a small saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Add in the cornstarch last and whisk.
Over medium heat, begin to bring the cream filling to a very low boil. Whisk continuously, ensuring it does not burn.
Once bubbles begin to form (this will take 5-10 minutes), continue to stir for another 2 minutes until mixture is thick.
Once the pie crust has cooled, pour the cream filling into the crust. Put the pie into the refrigerator to set for 5-6 hours minimum, preferably overnight.
Once the pie has set, chop up strawberries and decorate the top of your pie! Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Other fun delicious recipes you may want to bring out while entertaining!

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Sheet Pan Pancakes

Cauliflower Thai Sweet Chili Wings

Vegan Rocky Road Brownies

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN PIN THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING @basicswithbails and #basicswithbails

This post is sponsored by California Strawberries but all opinions remain my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that help make Basics With Bails possible