We are a little less than two weeks away from the 4th of July, one of my favorite holidays. On Memorial Day I went to one of my favorite streets that is lined with historic estates. I wanted to take pictures of the houses and their waving American flags. But I was disappointed to see only four, yes four, out of around 50 or so houses had flags displayed. So hopefully they change their tune and display one on the 4th!
This 4th of July I will be at the lake riding jet skis, and I am pretty sure a BBQ, beer and fireworks will be involved. At any family gathering it is pretty much assumed that I will be providing a dessert (which is awesome of course!) I thought of this recipe as I was thinking about a perfect summer pie, as well as a great 4th of July dessert. I wanted something light with seasonal fruit, but I didn’t want it to be too fruity. However I didn’t want it to be heavy at all. No one wants a rich, dense dessert when it is 100 degrees outside.
A few days ago I shared with you a YumYums recipe that my Grammy has been making forever. Well, in that same phone conversation I somehow managed to get a pie dough and cheesecake recipe from her! She told me to sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon over the cheesecake when it is done baking. Even though I made this cheesecake a fruit variation, I stilled added the cinnamon. It added a subtle hint of the spice to the pie, and at the same time gives it a rustic appearance.
I love making pies, but hate making pie dough. I have not always been this way. I used to work in this restaurant where I made 8 coconut creme pies a day, including the pie dough. This reason alone is why you may never see coconut creme pie on this blog. But lately I have been using premade pie dough when making pies. Please don’t look at me like that. I’m ashamed, trust me. I decided to get her recipe since her pies always have the most perfect, flakey, somewhat salty crust. And guess what? No cutting in butter necessary! No ice water necessary! This is pie dough recipe using oil and milk and love.
Berry Cheesecake Pie
yield: 1 pie
Grammy’s Pie Dough, recipe below
8 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 eggs
2 cups Strawberries, sliced
1 cup Blueberries
1 TBS Light colored Jam (any flavor such as orange, apricot, peach, etc)
Pie Dough Stars, pie dough star cut outs, baked 15 minutes
preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Press pie dough into a 9 inch pie pan. Reserve a small piece of pie dough, about 1/4 cup full and set aside for pie dough stars if using. Press dough up the side of the pie pan, and use your finger to press indentions to create a border. Place unbaked pie crust in the fridge.
2. Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until creamy and fluffy. Add vanilla. With mixer (or hand mixer) on low speed, add eggs one at a time fully incorporating before adding the second egg.
3. Remove crust from the fridge and pour cheesecake batter into crust. Bake for 25- 30 minutes until firm and set in the center, and the crust is lightly tanned. Sprinkle cinnamon over the cake and crust immediately after removing from oven. Sprinkle over the stars (if using). Let cheesecake pie cool completely.
4. Rinse and pat dry the berries. Remove the stems from the strawberries and cut in quarters. Gently place the berries on top on the cheesecake.
5. Boil some water (in the microwave is easiest) and pour over the jam a tablespoon at a time until it has melted and is thick and syrupy. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the berries. This will create the shiny, glossy look.
6. Place the stars on the pie up to three hours in advance to avoid them getting soft or stained. The pie can be made 24 hours in advance.
Grammy’s Perfect Pie Dough
1/3 cup Milk
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
2 1/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1. Measure the milk and vegetable and combine.
2. In a large bowl add the flour and salt. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix with a spoon.
3. Use this pie dough for any sweet or savory pie! Simply press in the pie pan rather than having to roll.
The better the berries, the better the pie! This pie would be perfect with any fruit though. I can already see myself making it with kiwi and strawberries. Pineapple and blueberries. Caramel or cinnamon apples. Anything and everything, especially if it is fresh from your garden!
