Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

The balsamic vinegar drizzle and strawberries coated with a mixture of lemon juice, zest, and honey really elevates this ice cream pie from what one typically thinks of as a children’s dessert. Don’t skip out on the walnut crust. This pairs perfectly with the creamy ice-cream and gives a depth to the flavor profile.

I find it very easy to work the dough into the pan with the aid of a tart tamper. Add the strawberries and balsamic drizzle right before serving. I made the mistake of freezing them with the pie. The vinegar bled into the ice-cream, and the strawberries were frozen solid. We wound up picking them off of the pie.

The pie, sans balsamic and berries, can be made at least one day in advance. This is an easy recipe to make in stages if one is pressed for time. I let the ice cream soften naturally on the counter. This can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes depending on the temperature of my kitchen. I resist trying to speed up this process in the microwave. This has resulted in unevenly melted ice cream.

This is ice cream pie all grown up! The rich, sweet, balsamic reduction adds a sophisticated touch and a mystery flavor my guests couldn't quite guess. The walnut crust takes this from ordinary pie to extraordinary tart!

The balsamic vinegar reduction took 15 minutes. After cooling, I poured the reduction into a squirt bottle. I used approximately half of it on the pie. The amount of balsamic could be reduced in this recipe to 1 cup or even 3/4 cup.

I didn’t soften the ice cream first. I scooped it into the crust and flattened it out with the back of the ice cream scoop. I then covered it with plastic wrap and rolled a small drinking glass over it to smooth it out nicely.

I put the pie in the freezer for 2 hours. The strawberries were too frozen for my liking. I would put them on the pie no more than 30 minutes before serving.

I used a 10-inch springform pan and this amount of crust wasn’t enough. I only went up the sides an inch and as thinly as I could but there was not enough to cover the bottom, even thinly. I would increase the amount of walnuts to 3 cups and increase the other ingredients by 1/3 also. If you'd like to make a tall sided crust, it will need to be doubled. I just took the walnuts I had left and quickly put together a little more crust material. Also, concerning the walnuts, the recipe calls for toasted walnuts. It would be helpful if the author had the instructions for toasting walnuts included. I gave them a 5 minute toast in a dry pan.

It would be time efficient to make the balsamic reduction while the crust is baking and they both can cool for an hour at the same time.