My (previously) all time favorite pie is very similar to this one. The original recipe is from a 1974 edition of Better Homes and Gardens (New Recipes). Made with a regular pie crust, I’ve changed it over time and added a layer of mascarpone cheese mixed with a bit of cream to put on top of the crust to keep it from getting soggy from the fresh berries. Beyond that I pretty much make it the same every year and believe me, we have it EVERY year when fresh berries start coming into the local farmer’s markets. I bought some berries recently and in a fit of wanting to mix it up a bit decided to veer off course a bit with this Strawberry Tart with Chocolate Ganache and Mascarpone Cream. While the crust, chocolate and whipping cream layer were a hit, one thing is always a constant. The fresh berries remain the star of the show.

Every year I’m also reminded of an email I received years ago from another blogger. A huge, big, yes you would know her name blogger. She saw the recipe that is the inspiration for this pie on my website and told me to remove it; that it was her recipe. I know enough to know that she had to have been a real protege to be cooking and blogging at the age of ten so of course I said no, it wasn’t going to happen. In truth that recipe had been one of the first I had put on this blog; back in the day when my sole purpose was to create an online repository of recipes I loved; never in a million years expecting it to become what it is today; still recipes I love but read by far more than me and my dog. I had not attributed my inspiration for that pie to BH&G and I did correct that omission; THEY deserved that credit.

Even though this is a far cry from that simpler pie, in my book they still get all the credit; the start for this best of summer desserts is the basics. Crust, Strawberries, Glaze. It can not be beat.

