PERRYSBURG – It’s the first full week in June and that means Rose Moser is crazy busy at work.
But not too busy to share her favorite recipe for strawberry cream pie.
She is the co-owner of Moser’s Farm Market on U.S. 20, right between Kohl’s and Tuffy Muffler, where
strawberry season is just starting to move into high gear. So if you’re looking for the perfect way to
use some of those Moser strawberries look no further.
"I’ve had this recipe in my file for years." So many, in fact, that she doesn’t recall where it
came from. "I never wrote down who gave it to me or where I got it."
She just knows it’s a good one. And over the decades, it’s gotten better. "I’ve made some revisions
to it," changes developed through trial and error.
"I added an egg," for starters. "Instead of one egg, which it originally called for, I use
two, ’cause I found it didn’t thicken otherwise," she said of the filling.
The original recipe wanted the cook to put the almonds "on the bottom of the pudding, but I put them
on top of the pie. It’s prettier, I think."
Besides, if you’ve got as wonderful an ingredient as almonds in your strawberry pie, why not let people
know about it before they dig in?
Conversely, "not everybody likes almonds," so guests can be forewarned to simply remove that
part of the topping if they so desire.
There is one more change she’s made.
"The original recipe asked for half flour and half cornstarch, but I put in all cornstarch. I just
like the flavor better. I think it thickens up better, too."
Born Rose Klena from Rossford, she graduated from Rossford High School in the Class of 1954 and then took
an office job in the payroll department at Electric Autolite.
Her father had originally had a jewelry business in Perrysburg and she grew up as a "townie" so
what came next was a culture shock.
"I married a farmer and moved out into the country. It was a change!
"We started a produce business 10 or 15 years after we were married, and originally grew the produce
in our front yard. My son still plants stuff for us to sell at the market.
The couple opened Moser’s Farm Market on the east side of Perrysburg in 1986, so the market is currently
celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Rose, now widowed, currently runs the business along with daughter Debbie Moser. Though 70-plus, she
thrives on the hard work.
"I haven’t given retirement any thought. I always tell people I’m too young to retire!"
Moser preaches the gospel of cooking and baking with local, fresh ingredients wherever possible.
They have a grower in Fremont who supplies all their strawberries.
If you follow Moser’s approach to strawberry pie-making, June is really the only time to produce – or eat
– them.
"The pie is not as good, unless (the berries) are very ripe" yet firm, which rules out berries
shipped in from California, for example, that too often go straight from slightly unripe to mushy.
Her recipe is not hard, but it is important to follow each step precisely to end up with perfect pie
filling. Here are three special tips:
¥ "You have to scald your milk in a pan until it’s right on the brink of boiling."
¥ After you return the egg to the pudding, it thickens up pretty quick, so be warned.
¥ "Sometimes that mixture in the double boiler is hard to get thick, so I put it in the microwave
for a little bit." If you use the microwave, the mixture may get a little lumpy. In that case, she
just stirs it with an electric wand – "it’s kind of like an electric blender on a stick" – to
smooth out the lumps.
And whatever will we do whenever Ohio strawberry season is past and there are no more strawberry cream
pies showing up at church festivals or Father’s Day dinner tables?
Maybe you can stop by the market and ask Moser for her recipes for cherry cream pie or "fluffy"
pie. "They’re also wonderful."

Strawberry cream pie
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 quart homegrown strawberries (washed, hulled and sliced in half)
1 cup Cool Whip
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
In top of double boiler mix sugar, cornstarch, salt – gradually add milk and cook over simmering water.
Stir constantly until thickened. Add a small amount of the hot mixture to the beaten eggs – whisk in
quickly. Return egg mixture to hot sauce in double boiler. Cook, stirring constantly until very thick.
Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla extract. Cover and chill.
Pour chilled mixture into baked pastry shell and put into refrigerator. Before serving, arrange halved
strawberries over filling and spread with whipped topping. Garnish with more strawberries over filling
and spread with whipped topping. Garnish with more strawberries and sprinkle with toasted almonds.