Mini Strawberry Pies

Yesterday my 16-year-old son passed his drivers test. He is now a licensed driver in the State of Ohio, with all the freedoms and responsibilities such license brings. I hope we have instilled in him the importance of being able to control a machine that can kill him or others. My mantra has always been to him (Think what the consequences of your actions will be. Does my decision have a chance of changing my life or someone else’s forever).

He is a good driver, but with being a good driver comes cockiness. Cockiness, without experience, can be a dangerous combination. We will continue to remind him to be careful and safe. Not to text and drive or worse. We will pray for his safety and of others. But with all cycles of life, we must let go and allow our children to explore the world, start making their own decisions and mistakes. Hopefully those mistakes will be small ones.

So in celebration of his grand achievement and national strawberry month I decided to make these great mini strawberry pies. This recipe has been rattling around in my brain for a couple of weeks. Last week I made a recipe for our Dinner Group from Ann Burrell of Food Network. I made her mini bacon and mushroom pies appetizer. These were wonderful and I will post the recipe soon.

The technique she used to make the puff pastry pie shells was very inventive. So I thought, why not use this technique to make these mini strawberry pies. It worked great. This recipe takes some time but is very easy. It can also be made a day ahead. Just top with whipped cream when ready to serve.

My kids, wife and favorite taste-tester neighbor Amber, loved them. These mini strawberry pies are a must for Memorial Day, Fathers Day or a summer cookout.

My son drove to school this morning for the first time. Christie, my wife, was so nervous she had to eat two of these mini pies for breakfast. She claimed it was okay because her baby just drove to school and the pies were made with fruit. Like a smart husband I just said YES DEAR!!!

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So these are my first published photos using PicMonkey.com. I am glad I finally took the plunge. Even if you are not a Food Blogger it is a great pic editing tool. It is an awesome program but I have a lot of learning to do. If you have any advice please leave me a comment. Thanks Quinn

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Prep Time: 20 min.    Cook Time: 20 min.      Inactive Time: 4 hrs.

Servings: 16 Mini Pies

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Ingredients:

• 1 package Pepperidge Farm® puff pastry (2 sheets) or use homemade (Recipe coming soon)
• 3 (16 oz) containers fresh strawberries, divided (Driscoll’s)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp Rodelle Vanilla
• 2 oz Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 2 oz plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• Cool whip or fresh whipped cream (See recipe below)
• Special Equipment: 2 twelve count muffin tins

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Directions:

1. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Unfold one pastry sheet on large cutting board or clean counter top. Press together any seams or broken areas.  (TIP: Keep second sheet in fridge until ready to use).
3. Lightly grease a regular size muffin tin. Cut dough into eight circles using a 3 1/3 inch round cookie cutter. You should get six out of the first cut. Piece together remaining dough and press together. Cut remaining two rounds.
4. Press rounds into muffin tin. Lightly grease the bottom of a second muffin pan.
5. Place second muffin tin on top of pastry rounds to secure and form pie crusts. (Tip:You might need to weigh down the top muffin tin to keep the pastry from rising too much and retain the pie shell shape. I used ramekins). 
6. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden browned and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool completely.
8. While pie crusts cooks and cools, make the glaze.

Glaze:

1. Clean and hull strawberries. Cut into small slice. Remove 2/3 cup strawberries and mash for glaze.
2. In medium saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup water, vanilla and mashed strawberries. Bring to boil, over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. If you have trouble blending the mixture use an immersion blender as mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Filling:

1. In medium bowl add cream cheese, yogurt, and 3 tablespoons of glaze mixture. Beat with hand mixer until smooth.
2. Combine remaining glaze and strawberries.

Now Put It All Together:

1. Fill each mini pie crust with 1 teaspoon of filling.
2. Top with 1 1/2 tablespoon of strawberry glaze.
3. Chill mini pies in refrigerator 2-4 hours until set.

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Notes:

• Can be made a day ahead.
• When ready to serve top with whipped cream or cool whip.
• The Puff Pastry is still very flaky even though it is compressed. This is what makes this recipe special.
• Could also be made with ready made pie crust.

Enjoy!!

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Whipped Cream:

Makes about 2 cups.

1. In a deep mixing bowl, beat 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form.

2. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over cream; beat until soft peaks return. Do not over-beat.

Note: If you prefer, you can replace the granulated sugar with an equal amount of confectioners’ sugar; to prevent any lumps from forming, use a fine-mesh sieve to sift the sugar over the cream.

Helpful Hints
Make sure the cream is very cold; if you have time, chill the whisk (or beaters) and bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will help the cream whip quickly and will increase its volume.

Find this recipe at marthastewart.com

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Recipe adapted from

Filling: Strawberry Shortbread Pie Driscolls.com

Pie Crust: Anne Burrell Mini Bacon Mushroom Pies Foodnetwork.com