I. Love. Pie. But then you may have already known that? It was my turn to host Thanksgiving at my house this year, so of course I chose to make way too many tiny pies.
We all know that apple and pumpkin are the traditional expectations, so I decided to add a little surprise. Lemon! And not lemon meringue ether – because really who likes the meringue part? Lemon Cream is the way to go. I borrowed Martha’s recipe, and you might be thinking, “Martha’s recipes are always too complicated!” – not this time! Nope. Easy and above and beyond the favorite pie this year. In fact, we have 3 Christmases in our family and I plan to have this ready to go for all of them. I should probably go find someone with a lemon tree.
Martha’s Best Ever Lemon Cream Pie
FOR THE PIE AND FILLING
◦ 1 recipe Our Favorite Pie Crust, unbaked
◦ 4 large eggs
◦ 1 cup sugar
◦ 1/2 cup sour cream
◦ 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
◦ 1/4 teaspoon salt
FOR THE TOPPING
◦ 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope)
◦ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
◦ 1/4 cup sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line crust with aluminum foil; leave an overhang and fold over edge. Fill crust with dried beans, pie weights, or uncooked rice. Place crust on a baking sheet; bake until set and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove foil (and beans). Bake without foil, 5 to 10 minutes more; if crust bubbles up, press down gently. Cool.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, sour cream, and salt; gradually whisk in lemon juice. Pour mixture into crust. Place on a baking sheet; bake until barely set (center of pie will still wiggle slightly), 25 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Make topping: Place 2 tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with gelatin; let soften about 5 minutes. Heat mixture over very low heat, stirring, until gelatin dissolves. Let cool.
4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar until very soft peaks form. While beating, slowly add gelatin mixture, and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, spread over cooled pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day.
Let me know how it goes? and Happy Holidays!