JANUARY 2020 | The Honest Spoon

The highlight of every winter may possibly be citrus season. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I tend to have “fake summer” dessert and dinners to brighten my spirits. This pie really hit the spot today after way too many days of gloomy & rainy weather. I ate a slice in front of the fireplace.

PNW TECH TIP: if you sit in front of a fire and close your eyes, you can pretend your on a beach and it’s the sun warming you. I do this often & usually accompanied with a tall icy glass of sangria or a margarita. It’s AWESOME!!

This pie is low fuss and comes together quickly. You just par bake a simple graham cracker crust, then pour in a few ingredients that you’ve whisked together in a bowl. Once assembled, you bake the pie for 12 minutes, and let it cool. Then, refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight. It’s the perfect bake ahead dessert to share with company, or bring to a friend’s dinner to share.

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MEYER LEMON CREAM PIE

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CRUST:

• 1 1/2 C ground graham crackers

• 1/4 Cup granulated white sugar

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:

• 2 14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk

• 3/4 cups fresh meyer lemon juice (about 5 lemons)

• 3 egg yolks

• pinch of salt

FOR THE WHIPPED TOPPING

• 3 oz room temperature cream cheese

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream,

METHOD:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.

2.  Combine graham cracker, granulated sugar and melted butter into a bowl and mix well. Spray an 8 or 9 inch pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the graham cracker mixture and press evenly into the sides and bottom of pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

3.  While the crust is in the oven, pour the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt into a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat mixture for 3-4 minutes. Pour into pie dish and bake for 12 minutes. (yes, only 12 minutes). The filling will not expand, so don’t worry about being too close to the top edge.

4. Let cool on the counter for 30 minutes then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour over overnight.

5. To make the whipped topping, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl with a handheld mixer using the whisk attachments. Once the sugar is mostly incorporated, add the whipping cream in a steady stream while whisking. Whisk until whipped cream is to full peaks, Decorate the rim of the pie or serve dollops atop side each slice.

Enjoy! Happy fake summer!! Let me know how it turned out!!