1 Freezer Pleaser
TOAST A FRIEND WITH A COCKTAIL›INSPIRED ICEBOX TREAT
Last Thanksgiving, chef Ashley Christensen; her wife, Kaitlyn Goalen; and several of Raleigh’s most talented and charitable chefs served a beautiful restaurant-level meal for 250 people at Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen. “It was really special—one of my favorite moments of the year,” says Christensen, the owner of Poole’s Diner and several more restaurants in Raleigh and coauthor with Goalen of the new cookbook It’s Always Freezer Season. “Food has always been, to me, a way to connect and make folks feel considered.” The book is all about helping home cooks make the most of one of the best tools in the kitchen, the freezer, and it’s full of dishes that you can stash away for when you need them, like this Salty Dog Icebox Pie, one of Christensen’s favorites for sharing. “If I bring you a strawberry pie, which I love, you probably need to eat it pretty quickly,” she says. “This pie has a longer life without compromise because of how the curd sets.” There’s no compromising on the flavors, either. Inspired by a Salty Dog cocktail (vodka or gin and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice served in a glass with a salted rim), it’s made with a grapefruit curd filling that’s perfectly balanced by a saltine crust. As Christensen says, “It’s kind of like having a drink and dessert with a neighbor.”
RECIPE BY: ................................................................................... ASHLEY CHRISTENSEN
LOCATION: ................................................................ RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
DROP-OFF TIP: Deliver the pie frozen and wrapped in plastic, with a side of unsweetened whipped cream. “The pie itself is so seasoned and tangy and bright that simple fresh whipped cream just wraps around it like a hug.”
Salty Dog Icebox Pie
Yield: 8 servings
