For a simple summer dessert, strawberries Romanoff has elbow-glove style. The name hints at Russian aristocracy to which it has no actual ties, though the sketchy Old Hollywood restaurateur after whom it’s named supposedly traded on the association and lifted the recipe from the famed Escoffier. It’s kind of the perfect scammer backstory for humble strawberries dressed up in highbrow orange Cognac liqueur. Strawberries Romanoff is out of vogue these days, but I refuse to give it up. In fact, I crave riffs on the theme. Where is the Romanoff ice cream? Romanoff cocktails? Romanoff pie? That last one spurred me to action. A vanilla cream pie in a flaky, crispy crust seems a good base on which to pile boozy berries — a low-key stage for a vintage star’s comeback. I’ve adapted the filling from Nicole Reese’s pastry cream, a baseline pudding recipe that lends itself to variation, gently spiking it with liqueur. (Sidebar: Pudding is not hard to make from scratch. Get yourself a simple go-to recipe and live the life you were meant for.) Grand Marnier and Cointreau are the optimal liqueurs for their warm, rounded Cognac and orange flavor. That said, basic triple sec is about $8 a bottle and still delightful. Making the dough the day before is a solid plan but fill it the day you’re serving it to keep the flaky crunch. And the strawberries, lifted from their bright sauce, should be heaped onto the chilled pie at the last possible moment so the juice doesn’t run too much. But don’t worry, the sweet sauce won’t go to waste — letting your guests spoon it over their individual pieces feels that much more decadent. Strawberry Romanoff Cream Pie Serves 6-8. Ingredients 1 pie crust (half recipe from “Blackberries for the Wily,” Sept. 16, 2021) For the filling: 1 ½ cups whole milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 egg yolks cup sugar cup cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier For the topping: 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved 2 ½ tablespoons sugar cup Grand Marnier ½ cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon sour cream 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (or more to taste) Lay the rolled-out pie crust in a 9-inch pan. Trim and crimp the edges, then poke holes all over the bottom of the crust with a fork. Chill the crust for…