Salty Strawberry Sweetness Surprise

This summer I plan on posting recipes using local summer fruits and vegetables.  Back in the late spring I started my first raised bed garden.  With the idea of keeping it simple I planted tomatoes, several varieties, peppers, strawberries, herbs and an eggplant.  The tomatoes have done wonderfully, the eggplant nothing yet, the peppers have produced a few and same with the strawberries.  The herbs are doing well and I enjoy using them often. I yearn to incorporate these juicy, tender, fragrant fruits and veggies into every meal.  With my garden producing and the farmers markets and close-by peach orchard in full swing this should be an easy theme to stick with.

Grasshoppers are my biggest challenge in keeping the garden healthy.  I do not want to use any pesticide but the dang pests are trying their best to win and take over the garden.  Later today I will be spraying with an organic solution of garlic, onion, baby shampoo, oil, etc.. to deter those nasty insects.  I’m sure we are overrun by them since we had such a mild winter.  Any of you having this difficulty?  Leave me a comment sharing your method for getting rid of grasshoppers and other garden pests and winning your battle.

It’s pretty toasty in north Texas.  I thought an ice-box pie might be just the thing to help us cool off.  Refreshing, creamy and delicious is how I describe the one I’m sharing with you today.  It is a Strawberry Ice-Box pie and the twist is pretzels make up the crust. It sounds an unlikely duo but the creamy sweetness of the filling is a perfect match to the crunchy saltiness of the crust.  Your taste buds will be pleasantly surprised. I borrowed this recipe straight from Southern Living’s June issue.  It is pretty, tasty and easy but the one thing I must tell you now is it shouldn’t be called ice-box pie but instead freezer-pie.  I followed the directions to a t and froze the pie for 8 hours but when I tried to leave it in the refrigerator for any length of time it began to melt.  I decided to store it in the freezer, removing it for about 15 minutes prior to serving, a better method.

My man Dan and I worked for about 14 hours over the last couple of days on Honey Harvest 2012.  My bees have done a marvelous job this year and gave me almost 21 gallons of pure honey. Just sit on that for a while and I’ll share more about being up to my elbows in honey in the next few days.

Before I go, I invite you to leave a comment telling me what your favorite summer fruit is. It seems I have readers from many states and countries the world over and am curious to hear what makes you drool when the temperatures soar.  Be so kind and comment…who knows I might just take your favorite and whip up something mouth-watering!

Enjoy!

Strawberry-Pretzel Ice-Box Pie

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely crushed pretzel sticks

• 3/4 cup butter, melted

• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1/2 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

• 4 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. strawberry gelatin (1/2 [3-oz.] package)

• 2 cups whipping cream, divided

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 3 ingredients; firmly press on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 10-inch pie plate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

2. 2. Process strawberries in a food processor until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.

3. 3. Beat condensed milk and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (Use the whisk attachment if using a stand mixer.) Add strawberries; beat at low-speed just until blended. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. 4. Beat 3/4 cup whipping cream at high-speed until soft peaks form; gently fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture. Spoon into prepared crust. Cover and freeze 8 to 12 hours or until firm.

5. 5. Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups whipping cream at high-speed until foamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spread over pie. Freeze 1 hour or until whipped cream is firm.

JUNE 2012 – SOUTHERN LIVING