Strawberry Cream Cheese Slab Pie
Recipe from Bill Clark
I can’t remember the first time I made a slab pie for a crowd, but it was a milestone in my life. Honestly, it’s not much more work than making a standard 9-inch pie, but this one feeds a crowd and looks like a star. It shows off the berries that are just coming into season in the Northeast, ribboned into a base of sweet cream cheese in a buttery crust. This crust recipe is another to hang on to—it can be used for a slab pie in any season. You can cut this recipe in half and bake it on a quarter-sheet pan instead.
1 hour 30 mins
1-2 hours
25
What You'll Need
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter,
- cubed and frozen
- 1 cup cold water
Jam
- 2 pounds strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cream Cheese Filling
- 11/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Assembly
- Egg wash; 1 egg, well whisked
- Raw sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Step 1
Make the crust: Working in two batches in a food processor, add 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse to combine. Add half of the butter to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal and there are pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and repeat the process with the second half.
Step 2
Drizzle the cold water a couple tablespoons at a time over the butter-flour mixture. Using your fingertips, incorporate the water, being careful to not overwork or knead, until the dough sticks together but is not sticky. Gently press into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Step 3
Make the jam: Hull and slice the strawberries into the Always Pan. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries begin to soften and their juices are released, about 8 minutes.
Step 4
Ladle out about 1/4 cup of the strawberry juice into a small bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch until completely combined and smooth. Return to the saucepan and continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Spread on a sheet pan and cool in the refrigerator.
Step 5
Make the cream cheese filling: In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, salt, and flour. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 7
Assemble the pie: Divide off two-thirds of the dough. On a well-floured surface, roll into a rectangle 15 1/2” x 20 1/2” inches. Line a half-sheet pan with the dough; it should come up the sides with a 1/4-inch
overlap. Pro tip: You can roll the dough out on the silicone Oven Mat and make the transfer to the pan extra easy.
Step 8
Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the pie shell. Place the sheet pan in the fridge
while you prepare the remaining crust.
Step 9
Roll the remaining one-third of the dough into a rectangle roughly 9x20 inches. Using a
roller cutter, slice the dough lengthwise into strips 11/2 inches wide and 20 inches long.
Step 10
Remove the filled crust from the refrigerator and dot the cream cheese with the strawberry
jam. The jam should be evenly distributed, but some patches of cream cheese should show.
Step 11
Lay the pie crust strips across the pie on top of the jam on a diagonal. You may basket weave them if desired. Finish by tucking in the 1/4-inch overhang in the ends of the strips. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Step 12
Transfer the pie to the floor of the oven (or the very lowest rack) and bake for 10 minutes. Move to a rack in the center of the oven and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, another 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 13
Let cool completely. Slice the pie in a 5-by-5 grid to create 25 servings.
Make Ahead: Store the cake in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week. Before
serving, either bring it to room temperature on the counter or place it in a warm oven for a
couple of minutes.
Bill Clark
Bill is a writer, recipe developer, and chef. You may know him from the beloved Brooklyn establishment MeMe’s Diner or from his viral recipes like pizza babka. In his personal time, Bill is an extraordinarily welcoming host with a “the more the merrier” approach to bringing people together.
