Fabfood Raspberries & Cream Snowflake Pie

This pie is as much about presentation as flavor. A baked pie shell gets layered with raspberry filling and a lemon-almond cream cheese mousse, then crowned with a separate pastry round cut into a snowflake pattern and dusted with powdered sugar. It looks like it came from a French bakery.

The filling sets without baking. Cream cheese beaten with sweetened condensed milk thickens when lemon juice is added, a chemical reaction between the acid and the milk proteins that firms the mixture into a sliceable mousse. Almond extract adds a subtle nuttiness that pairs beautifully with the raspberry.

The snowflake top is a second pie crust folded into quarters and snipped with a knife like a paper snowflake. It bakes separately and sits on top of the chilled pie, crisp and golden.

Kitchen Tips

• Let the pie crust pouches come to room temperature before working with them. Cold dough cracks when you try to unfold or cut it.
• Cut the snowflake designs from both the folded edges and the curved edge for more intricate patterns. Simple cuts make the most dramatic results.
• Reserve the half cup of raspberry filling and spoon it around the edge after the cream layer sets. This creates a beautiful red border frame.
• Chill for several hours, not just one. The filling needs time to firm up completely for clean slices.

Variations

• Use blueberry or cherry pie filling instead of raspberry.
• Skip the snowflake top and pile fresh raspberries over the cream layer for a simpler presentation.
• Add a tablespoon of framboise (raspberry liqueur) to the cream filling for an adults-only version.