Sister Pie's Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Pie

Another great pie recipe from Sister Pie. It turned out much better than my previous strawberry pie recipe which spilled over everywhere. This is great with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Pie (~from Sister Pie)

Ingredients:

Pistachio Crumble

·        ½ cup finely chopped toasted pistachios (used shelled lightly salted and roasted pistachios, and chopped with food processor)

·        ½ cup rolled oats

·        ½ cup all-purpose flour

·        1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

·        ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

·        ½ teaspoon grated lime zest

·        ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

·        ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, straight form the fridge

Filling

¼ cup granulated sugar (add an extra 2 tablespoons if strawberries are not very sweet)

¼ teaspoon grated lime zest

1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoons tapioca starch (used potato starch)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 pounds whole strawberries hulled

2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

One 9-inch crust made with all-butter pie dough, blind baked and cooled

2 tablespoons finely ground toasted pistachios (did not use)

Directions:

Make the crumble: in a large mixing bowl, combine the pistachios, rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cardamom, lime zest, and salt. Place the butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture. Take a bench scraper and cut the butter into ½ inch cubes directly in the flour mixture in the bowl. Work to break up the cubes with your hands until they are lightly coated with the flour mixture. Continue to use the bench scraper to cut the cubes into smaller pieces- the idea is that you are cutting each cube in half.

Switch to a pastry blender and begin to cut in the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. It’s important not to aim for the same spot at the bottom of the bowl with each movement, but to actually slice through butter every time. You’ll need to clean out the pastry blender every few turns of the bowl. Once most of the butter is incorporated, use your fingers to fully break down the butter until it is not longer visible, and you’re working with small clusters of crumble. Be careful not to overwork the mixture. The crumble can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.

When you’re ready to assembly and bake the pie, preheat your over to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, lime zest and juice, tapioca starch and salt. Add the strawberries and toss with your hands until evenly distributed.

Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, evenly spread the cream cheese on the bottom of the pie shell. Brush the crimped edge with the beaten egg. (did not brush with egg since my pie crust was already so dark) Layer the strawberries on top of the cream cheese, being careful not to mound them in the center. Carefully cover the fruit with the crumble topping, leaving a small hole in the center of the pie, to serve both as a steam vent for the fruit as it cooks and as an indicator of when the pie is done. If the hole closes up during baking, insert a knife to bust it open. Place the assembled pie on the parchment lined baking sheet. I also covered with a pie guard

Transfer the baking sheet with the pie on it to the oven and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours (baked for 85 min), until the pie juices are beginning to bubble in the very center and the crumble toping is uniformly a deep golden color.

Remove the baking sheet form the oven, transfer the pie to wire rack, and cover with the pistachios (did not do). Let cool for 4 to 6 hours. When the pie is at room temperature , slice it into 6 to 8 pieces and serve.

Store leftover pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap or under a pie dome, at room temperature for up to 2 days.