Don’t mistake this cream pie as a variation of lemon meringue pie—it has an altogether different look and taste, and is truly elegant and pretty. The filling is a super-creamy lemon curd, with a soft and subtle lemon pucker to it, and the whipped cream highlights the richness and simplicity.
Ingredients
Crumb Crust:
Creamy Lemon Curd:
Topping:
Method
Crumb Crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate or round tart pan with a removable bottom. Stir the graham (or other) crumbs and melted butter together until evenly combined, then press into the pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely on a rack before filling. Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) pie or tart crust.
Creamy Lemon Curd: Whisk the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, sour cream, eggs and egg yolks together in a large metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot filled with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water gently simmering over medium heat. Whisk constantly (but not vigorously) until the mixture thickens (when the froth on top of the liquid dissipates, you know you are getting close), about 5 minutes. Strain the curd into a bowl and let it sit, uncovered, to cool to room temperature (stirring occasionally accelerates this).
Transfer the cooled curd to a blender or food processor. Add the butter all at once and then blend until smooth (it will be fluid).
Pour the filling into the cooled crust and chill, uncovered, for at least 3 hours.
Topping: Whip the cream to a soft peak using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, then whip in the icing sugar, skim milk powder and vanilla. Spread or pipe this topping over the lemon cream and chill, uncovered, until ready to serve. The pie will keep after slicing, loosely wrapped, in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Chef Anna Olson
Chef Anna Olson is celebrated as Canada’s baking sweetheart and has become a household name. She is a recipe-writing maven, her work appearing in many magazines and best-selling cookbooks. Her latest cookbook is called Baking Day with Anna Olson.
Chef Olson has also earned a dedicated following in over 190 countries and can now be watched on Food Network Canada’s cooking competition Wall of Bakers, which debuted on March 28th. Tune in Mondays at 10pm ET/PT.
