Summer Strawberry Lemonade Pie

Kudos to my friend Laura! We were talking about pies and she posed the question, what about a strawberry lemonade pie? The gears started turning, and I fashioned something that exceeded my expectations! I combined a lot of different ideas/recipes, but the main part of the recipe is from Food Network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lemon-meringue-pie-recipe/index.html

Crust:

1 1/2 c Almond Meal
3 TB Sugar
3 TB Butter, Melted

-Combine all ingredients, stir until mixed well.
-Press into the bottom of a pie dish.
-Cook @350º for 8-10 min.
-Allow to cool and set aside.


Lemon Filling:

4 Egg Yolks
1/3 c Cornstarch
1 1/2 c Water
1 1/3 c Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
3 TB Butter
1/2 c Fresh Lemon Juice
1 TB Lemon Zest

-Whisk yolks and set aside.
-In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt. Whisk together over medium heat until near boiling. Stir until sauce starts to get heavy and thick. Take off heat.
-Slowly add cornstarch mixture to egg yolks, one whisk full at a time. Combine until half of cornstarch mixture is combined with yolks, and then transfer back into saucepan with remaining cornstarch mixture.
-Cook on low heat for 1 minute, continually whisking mixture.
-Remove from heat, and add butter, lemon juice, and zest. Stir until well combined.
-Pour mixture into pie crust and bake @350º for 10-12 minutes.
-Store in refrigerator. 


Strawberry Topping:

1/2 c Water
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 c Cornstarch
Fresh Strawberries
Lemon Juice
1/4 c Cornstarch
Powdered Lemonade Mix

-Combine water, sugar, and cornstarch on medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Dice half of strawberries.  Combine with a few tablespoons of lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
-Add pureed strawberries to cornstarch mix at medium heat and whisk in up to 1/4 c more cornstarch until mixture starts to thicken.
-Stir in powdered lemonade mix to taste (depends how sour you like it!).
-Remove from heat and allow to completely cool.


Putting it Together:

Freshly Cut Strawberry Slices

-Make sure both the pie and topping are completely cool (I didn't and wound up with more of a custard than a pie, which was still delicious).
-Pour strawberry topping on top of pie (optional: swirl with knife)
-Place strawberry slices on top.
-Store in refrigerator until it's being served.