Lemon Cream Pie

Meyer lemon mania turned to sheer panic today when I realized that several of the coveted little jewels were getting soft. Never one to let a Meyer lemon go to waste, I zested and squeezed the fragile ones. Make lemon Cream Pie.

When faced with the dilemma of what to do with fresh Meyer lemon juice, the answer was obvious.

I just happened to have one Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust left after holiday baking, so pie it was! I put the crust into the pie pan, crimped the edges, pricked the bottom with a fork, lined it with parchment paper, added ceramic pie weights, and baked the crust at 400 degrees until golden brown. When the crust comes out of the oven, allow it to cool until safe to handle then remove the parchment paper and pie weights. If you don't have pie weights, you can use dried beans. The weights will keep the pie crust from shrinking down the sides of the pan as it bakes. I love, love, love these ceramic pie weights. I keep them in a vintage Mason jar in my hutch, making them dual purpose for baking and country decor.

You could top this pie with meringue while the filling is still hot and bake until the meringue is browned, or just garnish it with whipped cream like I did. I am not a huge fan of meringue but I am a huge fan of freshly whipped cream.

Go and get yourself some Meyer lemons and make a pie. Remember, they are only available for a very short time. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Cream Pie

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups water
• ▢ 3 egg yolks (lightly beaten)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter (cubed)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
• ▢ ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Instructions

• Bake and cool a single 8-9 inch pie crust.
• For the filling:
• Combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly over medium-high heat until thickened. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from the heat. Ladle out a small amount of hot filling and slowly stir it into the egg yolks. Repeat two more times, then pour the egg mixture into the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in cubed butter and lemon zest. Gradually stir in lemon juice until combined. Pour into the baked crust.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack then refrigerate until firm enough to slice. Garnish with fresh whipped cream.