Treat yourself to something special with this delightfully sweet summer dessert and wine pairing featuring Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie and Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato.
I love the early summer season because it’s prime for berries! When I came across the freshest, juiciest strawberries at Austin’s downtown farmer’s market a few weekends ago, I knew they would make the perfect pairing with Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato and highlight the fresh, seasonal fruit in this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie!
Like my local strawberries, Ste. Genevieve is a Texas-based winery established in 1988 on a vineyard in Fort Stockton, Texas.
The winery itself has a tasting room, The Grey Mule Saloon, that’s deep in Texas history where you can taste Ste. Genevieve’s wine, enjoy a few snacks, and learn about their wine making process!
Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato is a sweet wine that’s best served chilled, making it perfect for Texas’ hot summer days and nights! It pairs well with light desserts and fresh fruit which is why it’s the perfect mate to this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie!
Even though I’m typically a red wine drinker, when the temperature hits above 90 degrees a sweet, chilled wine begins calling my name! Ste. Genevieve’s cool, Pink Moscato is definitely a crave-able summer wine offering up just enough sweet without becoming syrupy! I found this Pink Moscato perfect for late-afternoon sipping while also being well-suited for a late night dessert pairing to curb a sweet tooth. <3M, a huge fan of sweet wines, happily enjoyed this Pink Moscato, delighted that I finally opened something of his preference.
Inspired by the sweet, fruity notes of Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato and fresh strawberries, I revamped a pie from my childhood for this pairing. While still staying true to Mom’s original, I made it a tad more modern by pairing it with Ste. Genevieve’s gorgeous, fruity pink wine. I also modified the recipe just a tad by slicing the strawberries so they’re more bite-sized (Mom used to leave them whole!) then added homemade almond whipped cream and toasted almonds for crunch!
When I was little eating this pie, my favorite part was the shortbread cookie crust! Much like my ice cream cake, I’m often tempted to just bake shortbread cookie crumbs and butter to eat straight up! The crust is seriously THAT good. The crust for this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie follows a similar technique to the ice cream cake’s crust and making the whole pie is almost as easy as pouring yourself a glass of wine.
In addition to the shortbread crust, this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie also features fresh berries covered in a strawberry glazed. This pie is perfect for summer as it requires very little bake time, just 10 minutes in the oven to bake the crust and a few more on the stovetop to make the fresh strawberry glaze. After slicing all the berries, you mound them into the baked shortbread pie crust, pour over the strawberry glaze and let it chill for 3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, you whip up your fresh whipped cream, slice, severe and pour (the wine!).
After slicing all the berries, you mound them into the baked shortbread pie crust, pour over the strawberry glaze and let it chill for 2-3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, you whip up your fresh whipped cream, slice, severe and pour (the wine!).
I recommend heading to the porch to enjoy this dessert & Ste. Genevieve wine pairing while you relax and take in the warm summer nights!
In return for a recipe pairing, Ste. Genevieve provided me with complimentary wine but all opinions are my own.
- For the Crust:
- 1½ cups crushed shortbread cookies (~1 package of Lorna Doones)
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 350* degrees
- In small bowl, stir together the crushed shortbread cookies and almond slices
- Pour the melted butter into the cookie & nuts and mix until everything is combined
- Press on the crust mixture into the bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan
- Bake the crust in the oven for 8-10 minutes
- Cool for 10-15 minutes before assembling the pie
- For the Filling:
- 6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled & halved*
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Mash enough strawberries to equal 1 cup
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.
- Whisk in mashed berries and water
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (8 to 10 minutes)
- Boil the mixture for one minute then remove from heat
- Stir in salt and almond extract and allow to cool 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened
- Once mixture is cooled, fill pie crust with the remaining fresh strawberries
- Pour the cooked strawberry glaze in a strainer and strain over fresh strawberries**
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours
- To serve, slice & top with homemade whipped cream
**You may need to gently shake the glaze so it drips between the spaces of the berries. It's okay if you have some glaze leftover and don't use it all in the pie. Save it & use as jam for breakfast.
- For the Whipped Cream:
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream*
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Chill an electric mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes
- When ready to make whipped cream, pour the heavy whipping cream and sugar into the chilled bowl
- Using an electric mixer, whip on medium-high for 3-5 minutes until stiff peaks form
- Turn off mixer, add in almond extract and combine on low for 10-15 seconds