HOW TO MAKE PINK LEMONADE PIES AND THEIR COUSINS

I made seven pink lemonade pies this morning. Actually, they weren’t all pink lemonade—some were strawberry guava.

That’s a nice thing about this recipe—you can use whatever fruit juice concentrate you desire—cherry cranberry, peach mango, cranberry pear . . . In your grocer’s freezer case there is an amazing array of frozen fruit juice concentrates. They’re all game for this dessert.

We’ve been making pink lemonade pies and their cousins for years now. We’ve tweaked the recipe along the way but basically, it’s the same. We use a different pan now, a new silicone springform pan that’s easier to sue and makes for nicer, neater, better-looking slices.

Originally, we thought of this as a summer pie but it’s great year around. Try a cranberry apple in the fall, a cherry version at Valentines, and the green Leprechaun Pie version for Saint Patrick’s Day.

These pies are absolutely scrumptious. They are frozen, almost ice cream pies, and don’t require baking (unless you choose to bake the crust for eight to ten minutes) so they are perfect for summer. Since everyone loves them, they’re great for guests or a family occasion. They can be made ahead. Get the pan! Start making scrumptious desserts.

PINK LEMONADE PIE RECIPE

This recipe is made in three parts: a graham cracker crust, a lemonade (or other juice concentrate), and cream cheese filling, and a whipped cream topping.

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter

1. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a nine inch pie pan or spring form pan. Mix until the crumbs have absorbed the butter and the mixture is uniform.
2. Press the crumbs across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. We’ve found using a drinking glass to press the crumbs up the sides works well.
3. Bake for eight to ten minutes at 350 degrees. (If it’s a hot July day, you can choose not to bake the crust. A baked crust holds together better because the heat melts the sugar to help hold the crumbs together.)

For the Filling

1 8-ounce packet of cream cheese, softened
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup pink lemonade concentrate (not mixed with water)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Red Food coloring or equal

1. Using the whip attachment and your stand-type mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, mix the cream cheese until softened. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk very slowly while mixing to avoid clumps, scraping the bowl as you go.
2. Slowly add the lemonade concentrate and lemon juice and continue beating. Color with red food coloring as desired.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell or springform pan and place it in the freezer while you mix the topping.

For the Topping

1/3 cup shredded coconut
red food coloring
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the coconut in a small plastic zip top bag. Add a drop of food coloring and seal the bag, trapping air inside. Shake until the coconut turns pink.
2. Whip the cream until stiff, adding the sugar and vanilla in the process.
3. Wait until the pie filling is slightly stiff on top, and gently spoon the cream over the pie filling. Garnish with the pink coconut.
4. Freeze the pie until firm. Slice the pie with a warm, wet knife for smooth cuts.

ABOUT THE FOOD COLORING

Regardless of the juice concentrate you use, you’ll want to intensify the color with the addition of food color. We recommend Americolor Professional Food Color Gels. They’re bright, intense—nine times more concentrated than liquids—and easy to apply. They come in 40 colors. The pink pie in the picture was tinted with three drops of Red Red—a great strawberry color.

CHOOSE FROM 40 PROFESSIONAL COLORS FOR UNDER $2 EACH

HOW TO MAKE THE COUSINS

You make the cousins just as you do the original but substituting another juice. Taste your filling before adding the two tablespoons lemon juice but you will probably want to use them to balance the fruit flavor against the cream cheese.

LEPRECHAUN PIE

The mixture of lime and cream cheese in this pie is delightful, almost like a key lime pie. We serve this in our store every year around Saint Patrick’s Day.

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter

1. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a nine inch pie pan or spring form pan. Mix until the crumbs have absorbed the butter and the mixture is uniform.
2. Press the crumbs across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. We’ve found using a drinking glass to press the crumbs up the sides works well.
3. Bake for eight to ten minutes at 350 degrees. (If it’s a hot July day, you can choose not to bake the crust. A baked crust holds together better because the heat melts the sugar to help hold the crumbs together.)

For the Filling

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup limeade concentrate (not mixed with water)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
green food coloring as desired

1. Using the whip attachment and your stand-type mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, mix the cream cheese until softened. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk very slowly while mixing to avoid clumps, scraping the bowl as you go.
2. Add the limeade concentrate and lemon juice and continue beating. Color with food coloring as desired.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and place it in the freezer while you mix the topping.

For the Topping

1/3 cup shredded coconut
Leaf Green food coloring, or equal
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the coconut in a small plastic zip top bag. Add a drop of food coloring and seal the bag, trapping air inside. Shake until the coconut turns green.
2. Whip the cream until stiff, adding the sugar and vanilla in the process.
3. Wait until the pie filling is slightly stiff on top, and gently spoon the cream over the pie filling.
4. Freeze the pie until firm.