Strawberry Chiffon Pie for Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was cold and windy.  What else is new: it's February, after all!  But at least we didn't have a repeat of Valentine's Day 10 years ago, with a blizzard dropping 2 feet of snow upon our weary heads (followed by blizzards on St. Patrick's Day and Income Tax Day.  What a year).

So, for Valentine's Day, I bought the boys chocolates.  But they aren't good for my dearly beloved, so I made him a strawberry chiffon pie.  Yes, this is the taste of summer in the dead of winter, using those frozen strawberries I always have in my freezer, and lightened up in the calorie department (at least a little bit).

STRAWBERRY CHIFFON PIE
Pie crust, baked and cooled (store bought, or my "Best Ever")
20 ounce bag frozen whole strawberries
1/4 cup Stevia
1 envelope plain gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
3 egg whites
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup Stevia
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp strawberry extract
1/4 cup sugar
In a saucepan, stir together the gelatin and 1/4 cup sugar. Add the 2/3 cup water, and heat while whisking until the sugar dissolves and the mixture simmers. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Pour 1 cup of the strawberries into a cup, and set aside. Thaw the remaining berries somewhat (I left mine in the bag on the counter for 30 minutes). Pulse these strawberries with 1/4 cup stevia in your food processor until they are crushed but not pureed, or mash with a potato masher.

After the gelatin mixture has cooled a bit and somewhat thickened, stir it into the strawberries and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff, then add 1/4 cup sugar one tablespoon at a time. In another bowl, beat the cream until it thickens; add the strawberry extract and the last 1/4 cup stevia and beat until thick.

Slice the cup of strawberries you've set aside thinly (I used my food processor, of course). Stir the mashed strawberries into the whipped cream. Fold in the egg whites. Top with the sliced strawberries. Spoon this mixture into your baked and cooled crust, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until it firms up. Fair warning: If you decide you can only wait an hour, your slices won't look pretty. Trust me.  (I actually put mine in the freezer for 2 hours, and it looked beautiful being served.)

Note: If you don't have Stevia, or don't worry about the excess calories, then use sugar instead of the Stevia.  It will taste the same either way: summer on your plate!

Everyone had a small slice of the pie for Valentine's Day, but I left the second half for my dearly beloved, and he's eating one slice per day, so it will last for 4 more days.

I hope you all had a day full of love, flowers and decadent desserts!  Happy Thorsday, everyone!