In Celebration of my Friend

Thirty-one years ago my best-friend was born, one and a half years ago she died after battling breast cancer for a little less than a year. Her family is celebrating her birthday by playing in a park and having a little picnik snack.

To celebrate I made a French Glace Strawberry Pie but with a lot of changes due to the fact that her husband, their two kids, and his fiancee are not eating any grains or sugar. This was one of her favorite desserts if not her favorite. I made if for her for her birthday about three years ago and she was so excited and gave me the biggest hug.  This one looks great and I was amazed at how the glace part still thickened very well. 

I am going to give you two recipes here the original one and the sugar and grain free (although there is a tiny bit of corn starch) version. 

Original French Glace Strawberry Pie (Or Raspberry):
1 qt. strawberries
1 c sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
Baked Pastry shell
3 oz cream cheese, creamed

Hull berries. Spread the cheese over the bottom of the pastry. Cover with half the berries. Buzz the rest of the berries in blender (or with an immersion blender). If necessary add water to make 1 1/2 c juice. Mix sugar and cornstarch. Bring the juice to a boil in a sauce pan on the stove. Add the sugar mixture and cook, stirring, until thick (but not too thick, it will thicken a bit more as it cools) and clear. Cool and pour over the berries in pie shell. Chill well. Serve with whipped cream. 

The Sugar-Free Grain Free Version: 

The Pastry Crust Recipe: A Coconut Flour Crust

Instead of sugar in the recipe above use 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons honey. Follow all the other instructions the same as the recipe above.