Twenty-three years ago I gave birth to a seven pound bundle of joy, Kara Elyse. Giddy at the prospect of having a baby girl to cuddle and dress in cute baby clothes, I layered Kara in frilly dresses, swaddled her in pink blankets and clipped tiny bows into her tuft of flaxen hair. Countless times people would compliment my adorable baby boy. Seriously?
This gender misidentification happened for just a few months, and as Kara approached her first birthday and her hair grew longer, people finally got a clue. I would think the pink sundresses and Strawberry Shortcake sandals were dead giveaways. In any case, Kara was inundated with lots of girlie accoutrements, perhaps to combat the dominant military world of her upbringing. Living on military bases with a tough Marine for a father, I was definitely inclined to temper all the machismo surrounding Kara with heavy doses of feminine flourish.
As Kara grew into toddlerhood, her strong will exhibited itself in her wardrobe choices. She insisted on dressing herself in ruffles, costume jewelry and fancy shoes all in her favorite color - pink. She collected Barbie dolls galore and spent hours accessorizing them. Fast forward 20 years and not much has changed. There will never be any mistaking it. Kara is all girl!
In honor of Kara's birthday and in deference to her passion for pink, I bring to the spotlight pie #30 which features pink champagne and strawberries. I chose a macaroon crust because Kara loves coconut and it proves to be a lovely complement to the fluffy filling. Don't be put off by the amount of champagne in both the filling and the glaze as the alcohol is barely discernable in the pie.
Enjoy a slice of this fancy pink pie, especially you macho men out there. A little bit of fluff is good for the tough!
Crust:
1 1/2 cups coconut macaroons, crushed
1/3 cup butter, melted
Thoroughly blend wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press into an even layer against bottom and sides of a 9 1/2" pie plate. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool.
Filling:
1 envelope Knox gelatin
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups pink champagne
1 pint premium strawberry ice cream, softened
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed
In a medium saucepan, combine gelatin and sugar. Add champagne. Stir over medium heat until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. Add ice cream and stir until melted. Stir in Cool Whip. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon , about 1 hour. Spoon into cooled pie crust. Refrigerate until firm, preferably overnight.
Glaze:
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup pink champagne
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In saucepan, crush 3/4 cup of strawberries and reserve remaining 3/4 for garnish. Add champagne. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes. Put through a sieve. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir into strawberry mixture. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened a bubbly. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Halve remaining strawberries. Remove pie from refrigerator and arrange strawberries on top of pie. Spoon cooled glaze over strawberries. Refrigerate until serving time.
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