Ingredients

1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies

6 Tbl. melted butter

1 cup sugar

1 pint strawberries

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 egg whites

Directions

To make the crust, combine cookie crumbs, melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and mix well. Place in a 9 inch pie pan and press evenly up the sides and out to the rim. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, then let crust cool to room temperature before filling.

Wash strawberries, remove the stems and slice. Place in a food processor with 1/2 cup sugar and lightly pulse a couple of times to break up the strawberries. Do not puree or chop fine. You can also use a potato masher to do this. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes.

Stir the cranberry juice and gelatin together in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Add strawberry mixture to the cooled gelatin. Refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes until the mixture is partially set, gloppy but not firm.

Whip the cream in a mixer until stiff, then refrigerate. Whip the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating.

Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the strawberry mixture, then add the whipped cream. Pour all the filling into the cooled pie shell. Refrigerate at least 3 hours until the filling is firm. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries if desired. Serves 6.

Recipe from Chef Kathy Casey