Pie of the Week: Peaches n' Cream Mousse Pie

[Photograph: Lauren Weisenthal]

It's as predictable as Murphy's Law—the week that we're blasted with bone-chilling winter temperatures is always when I'll crave the sweet fruit of summer most. During these desperate times, there is a fantastic option for cooks searching for a summer oasis in a sea of root vegetables and apples from the cellar: frozen fruit. Grown in peak season, ripened and preserved with no sugar or additives, it's my favorite source of flavor to cure the winter blues.

Since frozen fruit is usually best when cooked, it's great for baking into pies or crumbles, sautéed as a topping, or cooked down and pureed. The simple and fresh mousse filling in this recipe is created by simmering frozen peaches with sugar in their own juices until they are soft and easily blended. The resulting puree (stabilized with gelatin) is then folded into cold whipped cream, and sets up in your favorite pie shell with just a few hours of chilling. With minimal work for great peach flavor, it's a winning winter baking project that's good any time of year.

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Peaches n' Cream Mousse Pie »