Strawberry Bavarian Cream Pie

Prepare and prebake a 9-inch pie shell – either pastry (at 375°F for 12 minutes) or graham cracker crumb (at 400°F for 7 to 8 minutes).

Ingredients

¾ qt. strawberries (about 3 cups)
⅓ cup sugar (or sweeten to taste)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
½ cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Method

Mash the strawberries with a fork or potato masher, and add the ⅓ cup sugar. Let stand until the sugar dissolves and the juices (syrup) form – 5 to 10 minutes. Strain the berries, separating them from the juice. You will need 1 cup of juice (add water to make 1 cup, if necessary) and 1 cup of mashed berries without much liquid. Reserve any unused berries for future use. Combine ¾ cup of the strawberry juice with the gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the gelatin softens.

Pour the remaining strawberry juice (¾ cup) into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup sugar and the gelatin mixture. Stir until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Pour into a mixing bowl and chill until partially set, stirring occasionally.

When partially set, beat with an eggbeater until smooth. Stir in 1 cup mashed strawberries. Set aside.

Whip the cream until stiff and gold into the strawberry-gelatin mixture. Pour into the cooled, baked pie shell. Chill at least 3 hours or until firm.

Top with whipped cream before serving, if desired.