Strawberry season happens much earlier in Florida than in most places, and it’s already come and gone. Thankfully, I have a friend who shares my enthusiasm for getting my paws on some really good local berries, and is always willing to come along on the hour plus drive to an organic strawberry farm in the area. Something aligned this year, and the strawberry harvest was like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The berries were small, but absolutely explosive in taste – almost unnaturally sweet and as though artificial from the intensity of their strawberry flavor. It was hard to believe that something like that could be produced by the earth and sun alone. We were so astounded by the radioactive berries that we took the journey to the farm twice, since we underestimated the rarity of the situation and didn’t gather enough the first time around. I froze a bunch of the berries, but also went wild with strawberry recipes for the blog. I’m going to spread them out a bit throughout the spring/summer, since I know the season happens later for most of you, but hope you guys won’t mind the impending strawberry recipe series.
I’ve been wanting to make a coconut cream pie for a long time, but held off until I could figure out a way to make it a bit more noteworthy than just a veganized version of the traditional. Crowning the pie with these beautiful strawberries seemed like the perfect special touch, so I went for it. This pie is nothing short of heavenly. The juiciness of the macerated berries marries so well with the rich, creamy pie base. Think of the perfection that is berries and cream. It’s also worth mentioning that this is an entirely no-bake affair, so if you make this pie in the summer, you won’t need to worry about any oven heat. If you don’t feel like following the recipe for the strawberry topping, you can just top the pie with really good fresh strawberries, or combine your strawberries with a bit of sugar and let them sit to quickly macerate, then proceed to top. I’ll leave you with some wishes for a warm spring and an abundant strawberry season :)
- 1⅓ cups macadamia nuts
- 1⅓ cups unsweetened dried coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, plus for oiling the pie dish
- 1 tablespoon coconut water (from the can used in the coconut cream)
- pinch of sea salt
- two 13.5 oz cans full fat coconut milk - refrigerated overnight
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1⅓ cups cashews - soaked for 2-4 hours
- ½ cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil
- ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon apple juice
- 1½ teaspoons agar-agar flakes
- ½ teaspoon arrowroot powder
- about 3 cups small to medium strawberries - hulled and halved for medium sz
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- coconut flakes - for garnish (optional)
- Place the macadamia nuts in the freezer 30 minutes prior to making the crust. Put the chilled macadamia nuts and coconut flakes into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to achieve rice-sized pieces.
- To the food processor, add the maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut water (from the separated can of coconut milk to be used for the coconut cream) and salt, and pulse until the mixture is well-combined and sticking together.
- Prepare a 9-inch pie pan by oiling it thoroughly. Spoon the crust into the dish and press it against the bottom and sides to create an even crust. Place in the freezer while making the filling, or at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the cans of coconut milk from the refrigerator and open them, the coconut fat should be accumulated at the top of the cans. Scoop out the fat from one can and half of the fat from the second can into a small saucepan. Melt and bring to a simmer over medium low heat.
- Meanwhile, combine the arrowroot powder with 3 teaspoons of the remaining coconut water from one of the cans in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the arrowroot mixture into the simmering coconut fat and stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Combine the cashews, dried coconut, 1⅓ cups of the coconut water remaining in one of the cans, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in an upright blender and blend until smooth. Add the thickened coconut fat, followed by the coconut oil and blend to incorporate.
- Take the crust out of the freezer and pour the coconut filling into the crust. Put the pie in the refrigerator while preparing the strawberries.
- Combine ½ cup apple juice and agar-agar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until all the agar flakes are dissolved.
- In the meantime, combine the arrowroot with the remaining apple juice in a small bowl and slowly drizzle it over the simmering apple juice, whisking until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the stove and cover.
- Combine the strawberries with coconut sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Pour the warm agar juice mixture over the strawberries and toss gently but quickly to coat.
- Remove the coconut cream pie from the refrigerator and top it with the strawberries. Refrigerate until the pie sets, preferably overnight. Serve sprinkled with coconut flakes, if using, slice and serve. Store covered and refrigerated.
Melissa Novotny says
Yum! This looks amazing! We just got so many strawberries from the farmers market and this looks like the perfect recipe for them!
Anya says
Thank you Melissa :) Let me know how it goes if you get around to making it.
2pots2cook says
Love your creations ! Thank you for this one as well !
Anya says
Thank you!
Aleksandra says
Very inspiring article! Definitely inspired me to try different recipes and inspire myself to venture with food! And an individual can be very inspired to eat healthy, be healthy and live healthy! Hope you wont mind me addig your web/blog to share it with my bloggers and allow them to inspire themselves via your blogs!