17 May 2012

It's time again for the Improv Challenge.  The premise of this challenge is easy: each month there are two assigned ingredients.  The participants must make a recipe using both ingredients and blog about it.

This month the ingredients were strawberries and cream.  I didn't waste any time trying to come up with a savory recipe using strawberries and cream, because I saw this recipe for No-Bake Fresh Strawberry Pie in last month's Cooking Light and just HAD to try it.  And since cream cheese counted as a "cream" ingredient, I was good to go!  (As you can see, I did serve it with whipped cream on top too, for good measure!)

No Bake Fresh Strawberry Pie


Ingredients:
1 (6 oz.) Chocolate Graham Ready Crust
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
¾ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tbsp seedless strawberry fruit spread
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Whipped cream, optional


Directions:
Unwrap ready-made pie crust and set aside.


Place cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Carefully spread over bottom of crust. Place fruit spread in a large microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 10 seconds or until softened. Add lemon juice; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add berries; toss to combine. Arrange berries over pie. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.


Serve with whipped cream on top, if desired.


Makes 8 servings.

The original recipe called for making a chocolate crust from scratch, but I simplified things by using a store-bought one.  I'm sure the homemade one would taste better, but it wasn't worth the extra effort to me.  It also called for Chambord, a raspberry-flavored liqueur, but I wasn't about to buy a whole bottle of that stuff to use 1 tbsp of it.  I just increased the lemon juice a tad.



Look at all those beautiful berries!


Piled high!

This pie was so incredibly easy; I think I had it put together in 15 minutes or less.  And it is so good.  The combination of the tart berries and the sweet, creamy filling is amazing.  Next time I will make some chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top.  Because there most definitely WILL BE a next time!





Shared at:





Tagged: , , ,

17 comments:

  1. That looks wonderful! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Simply mouth-watering! 

    ReplyDelete
  3. That looks so good. I want to make it today. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marvelous! I'm going to have to go out & buy more berries today...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love no bake desserts.  Especially if they contain berries!  What a beautiful pie.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yum yum yum yum! I am making this for my family cookout in a few weeks!  Great recipe.  

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lesa, did you save a slice for me? This looks heavenly and perfect for a warm day. I can just picture myself eating bite after cool bite of this wonderful, creamy, just enough sweet, oh and since there are strawberries, I can say healthy, dreamy pie. Oh and let's add fast and easy to the list! Pinned. Thanks for sharing. 

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love no-bake desserts! Ones with strawberries are all the better! Looks absolutely delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AdventuresindinnerMay 17, 2012 at 1:05 PM

    Perfect summer dessert!  So glad you posted to the Improv C:  Happy new follower.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your pie looks so refreshing! What a great dessert!

    ReplyDelete
  11. By the way, I featured your recipe on my blog today: 
    http://thecookssister.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/five-favourites-for-friday-16/

    ReplyDelete
  12. We both had strawberry cheesecake on the brain for this month's challenge! I love your approach to it, and will definitely be making this. It's one of my favorite desserts :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mmmmm....this is a beauty as well as so yummy looking!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This just SCREAMS summer. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi,
    I’ve started My Sweet Party, where I every month host a party with a theme (MAY theme is CHOCOLATE). The party is ongoing the entire duration of the month and then I will choose my top three favourites and feture those blogs. I would LOVE you to join My Sweet Party!
    http://meandmysweets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/my-sweet-party-chocolate-cake-love.html
    XXXJohanna

    ReplyDelete
  16. This pie looks so good and I love how it is no bake. Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday. I hope to see you at the next party!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hey! I know this is kinda off topic however , I'd figured
    I'd ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa?
    My site addresses a lot of the same topics as yours and I
    think we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to
    send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Excellent blog by the way!

    Also visit my web-site - http://203.250.78.160/zbxe/?document_srl=2084719

    ReplyDelete