Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie

This pie recipe, Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie, leans on granulated sugar, water and lemon zest. It makes 8 servings and takes about 375 minutes.

• Yield 8 servings
• Ready in 375 minutes
• Prep 300 minutes
• Cook 15 minutes

Ingredients

Crust

• 12 ( 170 g ) rectangle graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons ( 85 g ) salted butter , melted

Filling

• 3 cups ( about 510 g ) chopped strawberries
• ½ cup ( 106 g ) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 6 ounces ( 170 g ) cream cheese , softened to room temperature
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Finely crush the graham crackers. Stir in the sugar and melted butter and stir until evenly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch or 9.5-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly golden, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
2. For the filling, add the chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Let the mixture cook for 5-6 minutes until the strawberries are really soft.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with a large spoon or spatula (you'll only be using the liquid, not the solids). You should have about 1 cup of strawberry puree. *If you have more, only use 1 cup for the recipe.* Let the syrup cool completely.
4. In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cooled syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth and creamy.
5. In a separate bowl (or in a high-powered blender), beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry cream cheese mixture until evenly combined.
6. Spread the filling evenly into the cooled crust (it will be piled fairly high, especially if using a 9-inch pie plate). It will thicken as it freezes. Freeze until firm, about 4-5 hours.
7. Remove the pie from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and wiped clean (repeat between slices, if needed). Serve with fresh strawberries as a garnish, optional.

Let the center settle before you cut it, or the slices will slump.