Celebrate Lucy Burdette's Kitchen with Strawberry Cream Pie

 

LUCY BURDETTE: Long before I imagined I’d write a foodie mystery, I fell in love with Diane Mott Davidson’s series featuring caterer Goldie Schultz. Davidson didn't just dump descriptions onto her pages, food and cooking were woven into the pages to become part of her story. I always finished a book wishing I could have been friends with caterer Goldy, sitting in her kitchen, tasting her food. She and her detective husband Tom believed that serving good food demonstrated comfort and love. Plus, a lot of good detective work occurred while they cooked and ate.

 With fourteen books so far in my Key West series, each with recipes at the back of the book, I've had to do a lot of cooking to keep up with Hayley. I loved the idea of pulling them all together along with snippets from each book. Luckily for me, Crooked Lane Books agreed and LUCY BURDETTE'S KITCHEN will be out this week! To celebrate, I will share a recipe from the book, strawberry cream pie in a chocolate graham cracker crust. (Sorry about the photos, they are oldies but goodies!)

One of Hayley Snow’s favorite restaurants in Key West (mine too!) is called Seven Fish. The place has quite a cameo in the opening chapter of An Appetite for Murder: 

After sampling the sautéed grouper sushi rolls, the yellowtail snapper in a light curry cream sauce, the grilled mahi-mahi with roasted potatoes, the meatloaf, and the banana chicken, Hayley and her dining partner can't bear the idea of ordering dessert.

I think this was a big mistake because I would hate to miss their strawberry cream pie. I studied it last time I had it and it seemed to be mostly whipped cream and berries--and a chocolate crust of course. Here’s my version of their delightful confection.

Here's my version of the strawberry cream pie:

Ingredients for the crust

1 package chocolate graham crackers, crushed to crumbs (about 1 and 1/4 cups)

4 Tbsp butter, melted

2 Tbsp sugar

Whir the crackers to fine crumbs--in your food processor is easiest. Stir in the sugar and melted butter and combine well.

Press the crumb mixture into a pie pan (mine is 10 inches) and tap it firmly up the sides of the pan into a crust, using your fingers, the back of a spoon, or a water glass. Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 and let it cool.

Ingredients for the filling

1 and 1/2 lbs strawberries (best made in strawberry season)

2 cups whipping cream

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries, and then set them aside.

In one bowl, whip the cream cheese. In another, whip the cream and the vanilla until stiff. Add the sugar and whip that in. Gradually mix the cream cheese with the whipped cream until it's all nicely combined. (You may cut back on the sugar if you prefer the dessert even less sweet--and depending on how ripe your strawberries are.)

 

In the chocolate crust, alternate two layers of strawberries with layers of whipped cream, ending with the third layer of strawberries, artistically arranged.

Chill thoroughly. Serve and sit back to watch your guests swoon.

This and more available in Lucy Burdette's Kitchen!

To celebrate, I'm giving away a dish towel printed with Lucy Burdette's roasted shrimp recipe. Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing!

Coming on August 6, the 14th Key West food critic mystery: A POISONOUS PALATE!