No Use Crying Over Melted Ice Cream

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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What initially looked like a terrible tragedy, a loss of incomprehensible proportions, turned out to be happy accident in the end. It was an average day, punctuated by various chores and assignments, with a considerable grocery shopping expedition in between. Distracted by all the to-dos and a rapidly shrinking timeline, something was bound to get overlooked. It’s just a sad shame that it had to be the ice cream.

Tucked haphazardly into the fridge and not the freezer, hidden slightly behind a bushy clump of kale, there it remained for a full day before my grave error had been realized. By then it was far too late, the previously frozen dessert fully liquefied into a pale white puddle, sloshing around freely within the container.

Re-churning the mess in my ice cream maker did cross my mind, but no doubt the texture would never be quite the same. Immediately searching for a solution, loath to think that such a precious treat would be wasted because of a careless mistake, my thoughts turned to the possibilities of a little kitchen alchemy. Melted ice cream is no more than non-dairy milk, sweetener, and some sort of thickener, so why couldn’t it function as such in another application?

Proving that the sum is so often greater than its parts, this humble pie requires a mere seven ingredients, from crust to filling, thanks to the convenient combination neatly packed up in the form of vegan ice cream. Strawberries and cream are a classic duo in the first place, and they truly shine together in this brilliantly simple ode to spring.

The only baking required is a brief flash in the oven to set the crust, but this can be further simplified with a ready-made rendition if you’re especially pressed for time. Even more impressive than this recipe’s effortlessly delicious outcome is its versatility, easily adaptable for any season. Swap out the berries for just about any fresh fruit that’s ripe and ready, such as peaches or apricots in the summer, pumpkin puree in the fall, baked apples or pears in the winter; the potential for different flavors is practically endless.

But for now, I’m sticking with strawberry since spring is in the air and berries are on the table. With this foolproof formula under my belt, next time, I might even let the ice cream melt on purpose.

Yield: Makes 6 - 8 Servings

Strawberry Cream Pie

Strawberry Cream Pie

Proving that the sum is so often greater than its parts, this humble pie requires a mere seven ingredients, from crust to filling, thanks to the convenient combination of sweetener, filler, and flavor neatly packed up in the form of vegan ice cream. Strawberries and cream are a classic duo in the first place, and they truly shine together in this brilliantly simple ode to spring.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Vanilla Cookie Crust:

  • 5 Tablespoons Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil, Melted
  • 1 1/2 Cups Finely Ground Vanilla Wafer Cookie Crumbs

Strawberry Cream Filling:

  • 1 Pound Fresh Strawberries
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
  • 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Agar Powder
  • 1 Pint (16 Ounces) Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream, Melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the melted butter or coconut oil with the cookies in a large bowl, stirring thoroughly to completely moisten every last crumb. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie pan and use your hands to press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides. If it’s too sticky to handle with ease, lightly moisten your hands before proceeding. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool while you move on to the filling.
  3. Wash, hull, and roughly slice the strawberries before tossing them into your blender along with all of the remaining ingredients. Puree until mostly but not entirely smooth, leaving a few small chunks of berries intact. If you’d prefer a silkier texture, continue blending until no lumps remain, and pass the pink mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the seeds. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and set over moderate heat. Whisk frequently as it warms up, cooking until it comes to a full boil. Continue stirring vigorously for a full two minutes and then pour the hot filling into your prepared crust.
  4. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles, and let cool to room temperature. Only then is it safe to transfer to the fridge to continue cooling. Don’t rush this process, since an agar gel that’s cooled too quickly will weep and become watery later on.
  5. Once fully chilled and solidified, slice and serve with additional fresh berries if desired- Or, additional scoops of ice cream!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 131mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Pies and Tarts

 

34 thoughts on “No Use Crying Over Melted Ice Cream”

  1. I love your ability to make lemonade when life gives you lemons, Hannah. Or, more correctly, pie when life gives you melted ice cream ;)

  6. I’m sorry but can we just take a moment to appreciate the crispness of the cut on that pie slice – it is PERFECT! I’m impressed! ;)

  8. Wow love this! I wouldn’t have wasted the ice cream either although must admit, I would not have thought of something this brilliant. I would probably have had dessert “soup” and called it a day!

  9. Very creative, Hannah, although Val stole my thought about life, lemons and lemonade. I also always love your photos. Thankfully I’m still stuffed from a very healthy lunch, so I can resist running to the kitchen for something to eat. But it’s tempting.

    janet

  15. Looks fantastic! I never would have guessed that this wasn’t precisely what you were aiming for, so good save! What a gorgeous colored pie :)

  16. I don’t believe it- a vegan strawberry ice cream pie! This has been a tradition in my family for years and my mom’s favorite! She asks for it for her birthday every year. Thank you SO much for posting this!

  18. love the color of the pie. i think this is a fantastic way to use up the ice creams that havebeen sitting in my freezer since the past few cold months!

  19. I made your delectable tart & loved it so much! I made a similar rcipe like yours a while ago but preferred yours! xxx

  23. This is perfect for me – I don’t know how many times I’ve taken ice cream out of the freezer to soften only to completely forget about it. Re-freezing never works out but a pie would be awesome.

  24. Goodness, I am lusting after your gorgeous pie right now….I love how fresh and delicious your filling is – strawberries, lime and lemon zest! And your vanilla cookie crust is probably my soon-favorite crust to try, I love cookie crumbs crust (I don’t like raw crusts involving dates and nuts).

  25. I’m not even vegan and I need to make this ASAP! I had no idea what Agar powder was until I just looked it up. This is one of the best vegan dessert recipes I’ve seen in a long time. I especially love the use of coconut oil and coconut ice cream. It makes me smile :)

  26. Looks amazing!! Because I live in Finland I can’t get the “So Delicious” ice cream, but maybe I could use some other brand.. :) How much is it in a pint of that ice cream?

    1. A pint of ice cream is usually 14 – 16 ounces by weight, so anywhere within that range should work. Just make sure you don’t go by volume measurements, since different brands have vastly different amounts of air whipped in.

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