Icebox Pie for the Fourth of July

 

I made lemon icebox pie for the fourth of July,  also the fifth, and sixth, and I deeply regret that I don't have any more left over for the seventh.

It's my new favorite, totally right for any occasion, summer dessert; as creamy as it is cool, refreshingly tart and deceptively rich. This is key lime pie's sophisticated big sister, the one who left town and married up, and rightly so.

To be honest, I never much cared for key lime pie's sickly sweet personality or her bordering on boring ubiquity, but that's just me. That being said, this is basically a key lime pie, but made with lemons. Big difference. Use Meyer lemons if you can get them. They'll give the pie a slightly smoother flavor. But really, any ripe, juicy lemons will do.

And don't stint on the topping. Pile it on. Chantilly Cream, which is just a fancy name for cream whipped with vanilla and confectioners' sugar, provides the perfect airy complement to the burst of citrus below. Some cooks like to spread the whipped cream on top of the pie before freezing, and then freeze the whole thing. (Still others, perish the thought, use Cool Whip. Don't you dare. I will know, and I will hunt you down like a hound.) I prefer to whip the cream fresh at first serving, but have no problem with re-freezing any leftover pie cream topped. Trust me, you won't have any problems with leftover pie at all.

LEMON ICEBOX PIE WITH CHANTILLY CREAM

(Serves 8 to 10)

For the crust: 

2 sleeves graham crackers (about 20)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

2 (14 ounce) cans condensed milk

Zest of 2 lemons

1 1/4 cups strained lemon juice (from the 2 zested lemons plus 4 to 6 more)

8 large egg yolks

For the Chantilly Cream topping:

2 cups cream

1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9" springform pan, (or 9" deep dish pie plate), with baking spray.

Break crackers into pieces and place in the bowl of food processor with the sugar, salt and  cinnamon. Pulse until you have semi-fine (but not powdery) crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and blend until mixture holds its shape when you squeeze it.

Pour the crumbs into the prepared pan, and push and press the crumbs over the bottom and up the sides. (Tip: The bottom of a measuring cup works well to press the crumbs in place.) Place pan on a tin-foil covered, (for ease of clean-up), baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to a wire rack to cool.

Whisk condensed milk with the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, whisk the zest with the egg yolks, beating until pale in color. Then, whisk the egg mixture into the condensed milk mixture.

Place cooled crust back onto the baking sheet and pour in the filling mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center jiggles slightly, like a soft custard. Remove from oven and cool for about an hour.   

Cover loosely with plastic wrap (make sure the wrap doesn't touch the top of the pie) and freeze for at least 6 hours, or, preferably, overnight. 

Remove from freezer about 20 minutes before serving. Remove pie from springform pan (if using) and carefully transfer to serving plate with metal spatula.

Pour the cream into bowl of electric mixer, adding the vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Whip until peaks form. Serve on and with pie. 

We feasted on it for three days, and now it's all gone. (Sigh.)