STRAWBERRY & CREAM PIE
This stunning dessert is not off-limits even when living a low-carb lifestyle. Use any seasonal, ripe, low-carb fruit if strawberries aren’t in season, such as apricots, plums, berries or apples that are naturally sweet. The pastry is flavoured with lemon or orange zest, which is how the Italians make theirs, but it’s not essential if you don’t have any citrus fruit to hand.
Serves 8 Per serving: 9g net carbs 4.8g fibre 5.1g protein 28.1g fat 322kcal
500g (1lb 2oz) strawberries 200ml (7fl oz) whipping cream
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp honey
For the pastry
2tsp honey
75g (2¾oz) butter, softened and cut into small cubes
100g (3½oz) ground almonds
50g (1¾oz) coconut flour Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon or ½ an orange (optional)
1tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Line a 22cm tart tin with a circle of baking parchment about 4cm larger than the tin.
Mix all the pastry ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon or blitz briefly in a food processor until just combined; don’t over-mix or the pastry will be too soft to use straight away. Press the pastry into the prepared tin. Use your hands to push it, to form a case about 1.5cm thick. Prick a few holes in the base with a fork to stop it rising. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown all over.
Remove the pastry from the oven and use the parchment to lift it carefully onto a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, carefully slide the parchment out from the bottom so the pastry can cool quicker. While the tart case is cooling, hull the strawberries. Purée 150g of the strawberries and quarter the remaining fruit. Mix the purée with the sliced strawberries and set aside. Whip the cream with the vanilla and honey until it forms soft peaks, then set aside in the fridge.
As soon as the pastry has almost cooled to room temperature, transfer it to a serving plate. You can use the base of a loose-bottomed cake tin to transfer it from tray to plate. Pour the strawberry mixture over the pastry and top with the whipped cream. Serve straight away or chill for up to a day in the fridge.