COTTAGE LIFE RECIPE CONTEST WINNER, 2001

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

Strawberry-Banana Chocolate Pie // Rhonda Sone 

Ingredients  

Chocolate Crust:
4-5 oz good-quality chocolate e.g. Swiss bittersweet (125 g)
Filling:
8 cups fresh strawberries (2 L)
1 cup granulated sugar (250 ml)
3 tbsp cornstarch (45 ml)
2 large bananas, sliced
Decoration:
5 whole strawberries
1 ozchocolate, melted (28 g)
Instructions:

Chocolate Crust:
Line a 10" (25 cm) glass pie plate with aluminum foil, pressing securely along bottom, sides, and over the edge of plate. Flatten folds tightly. Place chocolate in pie plate and set in preheated 425°F (200°C) oven to melt, about 10 minutes. Spread melted chocolate evenly over bottom and sides to the lip of the pie plate. You should not see any foil through the chocolate. Chill to set chocolate, about 30 minutes. Peel away foil from chocolate. Return crust to pie plate.

Filling:
1. Wash, hull, and halve 2 cups (500 ml) of the berries. Combine in a small saucepan with sugar and cornstarch. Heat on high, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and forms a sauce. As soon as mixture starts bubbling, reduce heat to low and cook till berries are softened and sauce is thickened slightly. Put in the fridge until just warm. Mixture will thicken while cooling.
2. Reserve 5 large berries for garnish. Wash, hull, and halve or quarter remaining strawberries. Mix with thickened berry mixture. Cool. Place banana slices in chocolate crust. Pile strawberry mixture on top.
3. Place reserved whole berries on top in centre of pie. Drizzle melted chocolate over top. Refrigerate to set filling until ready to serve. Cut with sharp knife, making sure to cut through chocolate crust. Makes about 8 servings.

Cottage Tips:

  1. Rhonda sometimes adds chocolate leaves for a special finishing touch.
  2. Substitute blueberries for some or all of the strawberries.
  3. If you don't want to heat up the cottage with the oven, melt chocolate in a separate dish in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stovetop.