-----------------------------------CRUST----------------------------------- 3/4 c Butter, sweet; melted 1 1/2 c Flour, all-purpose 1 T Sugar, powdered 3/4 c Pecans; chopped ----------------------------------TOPPING---------------------------------- 2 lb Strawberries; divided 1/2 c ;Water 1 c Sugar 3 T Cornstarch ----------------------------------FILLING---------------------------------- 1 1/4 c Whipping cream 1/4 lb Cream cheese; softened 3/4 ts Vanilla extract 1/2 c Sugar, powdered Preheat oven to 375 F. For crust, mix melted butter with flour, powdered sugar, and pecans. Press into a buttered 10" pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown. Allow to cool completely. Start topping by mashing enough strawberries to make one cup. Cut tops off remaining strawberries and set aside. Place mashed berries in a sauce pan and add water. Mix sugar and cornstarch into crushed berry mixture and bring to a boil on top of stove, stirring. Boil about one minute or until clear and thickened. Set aside to cool. For filling, whip cream until stiff. In another bowl, beat cream cheese with vanilla and powdered sugar. Carefully fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Spread in cooled crust and refrigerate. When crushed berry mixture is cool, pie can be assembled. Stand whole (or halved, as you like) strawberries on top of cream filling, cut side down. When entire filling is covered with whole berries, carefully spoon cooled crushed berry mixture over all. Cream filling should not be seen between berries. Once the crevices have been filled, do not overload the pie with the crushed berry mixture, as it will just drip over the sides. Any left- over crushed berry mixture is excellent instead of jam on toast or English muffins. ---*Dying for Chocolate* Diane Mott Davidson
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