One of my favorite desserts ever - the cream pie. So simple, so versatile, so deadly good. I've been making a variety of cream pies for years, usually fruits inspire me - raspberries, peaches, coconut - of course chocolate cream pie is always a big hit and cookies and cream pie drives my kids (and husband) wild with delight. A few years ago I had inspiration hit me at the farmer's market in the form of a big, juicy, perfect cantaloupe. Now, grocery store cantaloupe is nothing like the version you can get at your local farmer's market, but it will do in a pinch. But, if you really want this recipe to sing, get a fresh, locally grown cantaloupe, ripened to perfection, with so much flavor and deliciousness bursting from it you can't help but want to create something creamy and dreamy from it. Cantaloupe Cream Pie
flesh from 1 medium sized cantaloupe
(either shredded and squeezed of excess juices or run through a juicer to extract as much juice as possible. Run through a food processor or smash the pulp until it is as smooth and unlumpy as possible.)
1 pkg cream cheese (blended with 1 cup of whipping cream until smooth)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 additional cups of whipping cream
Crust: 1 stick of butter and 1 pkg (about two cups) of grahams, crushed
First put together the crust by melting the butter and pouring it into the graham cracker crumbs. Press this into the bottom of a pie pan and bake for 5-10 minutes on 350. Set aside to cool. Whip the three cups of whipping cream with the vanilla and 2tbs of sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside one third of the whipped cream in the refrigerator. Add the cantaloupe, cream cheese mixture and 1/2 cup of sugar to the rest of the whipped cream and blend until smooth. Pour into the cooled pie crust, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour - or overnight for a more firm pie. Before serving top your pie with the reserved whipped cream and garnish with small slices of fresh cantaloupe.
To make this pie extra-awesome... I also used local whipping cream from Snowville Creamery (The same cream used to make Jeni's Ice Cream) and I used Grateful Grahams, baked with love in Cincinnati. You can now order both of these products from GreenBEAN Delivery and I would highly recommend it!
Happy cream pies everyone :)
