Sunday 30 June 2013

Joanne's Strawberry Pie

Today is my friend Joanne's birthday.  She would have been 69 years old.  I still think of Joanne sometimes when I'm sewing or blogging about something I wish I could share with her. I last saw her in June 2011, a few months before she died; I didn't know she was ill.  I'm not exactly sure of the chronology, but it's possible she didn't know either.

Anyhow, she fed us lunch at her house and there was this incredibly wonderful pie.  I asked for the recipe and she sent it, along with some others.  I've not pursued making any of these because (a) I'm not much on sweets.  We tend to have sliced fruit for dessert; (b) this is full of American brands not available here in Britain.  I think I know most of the substitutes, but it's not a sure thing.

Strawberry Pie

Graham cracker crust Pie shell (Digestive biscuits are the closest thing I've found to Graham crackers here in Britain)
4 cup sliced strawberries
4 oz Jello Cook and Serve Vanilla pudding (I think the closest thing to this is called Angel Delight)
4oz strawberry Jello (and this would just be called jelly?  I believe it comes already partially constituted so you just add boiling water)
2 cups water

Clean and slice strawberries. Arrange in pie crust.  Cook pudding with WATER (it is generally made with milk). When it comes to a rolling boil, add strawberry Jello to dissolve.  Allow to cool some, then pour over strawberries. Place in refrigerator overnight, all day or at least 4 hours.  Can be served with whipping cream or Cool Whip.  (I think the substitute is Dream Whip, but it comes in powdered form and has to be made up to serve).

So maybe I should add (c) it's more trouble here in Britain...then again, it was delicious.  

6 comments:

Beryl said...

This does sound good. Cook and serve pudding is just corn starch and sugar, with a little vanilla powder thrown in. Bet you could find the proportions on the Internet. Too bad about the crust - there really is no substitute for Graham Crackers in a pie crust. I would probably use real whipped cream since the Cool whip is not available. I'm thinking of trying it - it just sounds so delicious.

Anonymous said...

Sounds yummy! And a very nice way to remember your friend.

Anonymous said...

That sounds so retro and 1970's! I loved Angel Delight growing up but I don't know if I could eat anything that processed now, I really almost lived on angel delight and jelly because mum never cooked.

Carolyn said...

I'm sorry you lost a good friend, it's hard enough to find friends with whom you instantly "click" so awful to lose them.
The recipe does sound very retro! I don't try American recipes anymore because I've had so many disasters but British ones work fine. We must have many of the same ingredients.

Lacey R said...

Sounds great - I want to try making some pies this summer, I have never made one before. Hopefully it's not a total disaster! :)

Shelley said...

LR - I suggest that you take the easy way initially and buy a store made crust, then you can focus on the filling. If you decide to go for making the crust, can I recommend 'rubbing in' the fat (as they do here in the UK) as opposed to 'cutting it in' like the US books say to do. The UK method is way easier, faster and tastes delicious. The key is to keep everything cold. If it gets too hot, stick it in the fridge for half an hour... Look forward to hearing about your pie!