It’s that time of year again! Strawberry season is upon us and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with fresh strawberries purchased at your local farmers market?
For me, there was just one problem. I wasn’t able to make it down to either the Hillcrest Farmers Market or the Bernice Gardens Farmer’s Market over the weekend. Fortunately, I’ve kept a close eye on the produce and knew my nearest Kroger carried local strawberries from Sue’s Garden in Scott. Granted, the berries were about twice as expensive as your normal store-bought variety, but they truly taste ten times better. So, in my opinion, the quality justifies the splurge. It’s also important, in general, to keep in mind that your local grocery store does carry local products. Just keep a watchful eye.
With strawberries in possession, I set out to find an accessible strawberry cream pie recipe. Say hello to this Strawberry Pretzel Pie. There’s a million strawberry pie recipes out there, but the pretzel crust from this one was what caught my eye. I love the added saltiness a good pretzel crust gives to the overall taste of the pie which helps counterbalance the sweetness of the berries and sugar.
In the end, this recipe was very simple to make and was absolutely delicious, however, it needed adjustments to ensure successful results. First, when you add the butter to the crushed pretzel, make sure there is enough. You don’t want a dry crust. The mixture should feel moist, not wet, and should stick to the sides of the pie dish when hand-pressed. Next, it doesn’t specify, but please make sure to use unsalted butter. The combination of salted butter with the pretzel would make for a very salty pie. Finally, when whipping the cream, I definitely recommend adding maybe a ¼-cup of confectioners sugar to add some sweetness to the topping.
This Strawberry Pretzel Pie recipe is the perfect dessert for this time of year, and as far as I’m concerned, it gives you just another excuse to buy those wonderfully tasty local strawberries.