For many years, a German restaurant called Haussner's flourished in
Baltimore. The male owner died and the business was continued by his widow
until she retired and reluctantly closed.

That restaurant will be forever missed. (Any Baltimoreans here?). It was a
combination of great food and an art gallery - the art was often good, often
bad, but it was Haussner's hallmark, along with the food. Among other
dishes, it was famous for its strawberry pie, recreated he


* Exported from MasterCook *

Haussner's Strawberry Pie

FOR PIE:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon strawberry flavoring
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1 cup Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
1 9 inch flaky pie shell -- prebaked
1 1/2 pints strawberries -- washed and hulled
whipped cream for decoration
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
PASTRY CREAM:
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tbsp butter -- softened

To make a glaze, add sugar, strawberry flavoring and food coloring to
boiling water. Add dissolved cornstarch and stir over medium-high heat until
mixture thickens. Remove from stove and set aside.

Prepare Pastry Cream and let it cool, then spread in bottom of baked pie
shell. Pour in 1/2 pint of strawberries (if large berries, cut in half
lengthwise), cover with half the water-sugar glaze and add remaining
strawberries. Cover with remaining glaze. Decorate the edge with a circle of
whipped cream and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Chill and serve.

Pastry Cream:
Scald milk in a saucepan and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the egg
yolks and sugar until light in color and very thick, then beat in the flour.
Pour the warm milk slowly into egg mixture and blend well. Pour mixture into
saucepan and cook, stirring with a whisk, over low heat until mixture comes
to a boil. It will appear lumpy at first; keep whisking. Make sure mixture
does not stick to bottom of pan and burn.

Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter. Cover surface with buttered waxed
paper so it does not form a skin. Allow to cool.

Dora