Lemon flavored custards, puddings and pies have been enjoyed since Medieval times, but cream pie was perfected in the 17th century. Lemon cream pie, as it is known today, is a 19th-century product. The earliest recorded recipe was attributed to Alexander Frehse, a Swiss baker from the canton of Romandie.
Luscious lemon pie is a type of baked pie, usually served for dessert, made with a crust usually made of shortcrust or shortbread pastry, lemon curd filling and a fluffy meringue topping. Lemon meringue pie is prepared with a bottom pie crust, with the meringue directly on top of the lemon filling. No upper crust is used, as in a cherry pie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Dash salt
- 1 cup milk
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- Grated peel of 1 lemon
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked
Directions
- In the top of a double boiler, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Cook and stir over boiling water until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 3 minutes longer.
- Remove from the heat and stir in butter and lemon peel. Cool, stirring occasionally. When mixture is room temperature, stir in sour cream. Pour into shell and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
- For topping, whip cream until thickened; beat in sugar and almond extract if desired. Continue to beat until stiff. Spread or pipe with pastry bag on pie before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.
