Creamy Lemon Ice Box Pie

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 It's HOT.  Not just a little, but that oppressive heat and humidity that comes around only a couple of times a year.

Time for an ice box pie!

And yes, there is a little bit of oven top cooking, but you do that hours before in the cool quiet of the morning.

And BTW, this pie comes away with a bit of an urban legend.  In the 50's, a waitress at a small town diner saw a notice that a Condensed Sweetened milk company was giving away a FREE Fur coat to the first cook that was able to collect 500 labels of their product.

The waitress added whipped cream as a topping to the normal lemon pie, added noticeably extra topping for whomever ordered the pie and in a couple weeks she was seen around town sporting a new addition to her wardrobe,

And the moral, most urban legends come with morals, is to give that little unexpected extra to your efforts and you will be rewarded in kind.

This pie has a couple of extras that reward.  The real lemon flavor comes not only from lemon juice, but the lemon zest is the true zing to the flavor.  Just a little hint, but lemon zest added to almost anything is a good thing!

The other secret extra is the addition to whipped cream to the filling.  Many ice box pies have almost a gelatin consistency.  This has more of a creamy cheesecake filling that I Like so much better.

The recipe seems just a bit complicated, but really it is not.  Work in stages, low and slowly building heat, don't leave the stovetop, stir and slowly simmer throughout.

You can do this... and you will wear the mantle of that fur coat of appreciation for your adoring fans!!!

Enjoy indeed!

 OK... Here's what I did...

Creamy
Lemon Ice Box Pie

Ingredients (Makes 2 Pies, cut in half for only 1 pie)

• FOR THE LEMON CRUMB CRUST -1 large package Lemon Cream Sandwich Cookies (inexpensive Oreo knockoff looking)
• 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Room temperature softened Butter
• FOR THE CREAMY LEMON FILLING - 3 (14 Oz) Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 12 Egg Yolks
• Zest of 2 Lemons 
• 1 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (About 4 Lemons), strain the seeds
• 2 Cups Whipping Cream
• FOR THE WHIPPED TOPPING -
  2 Cups Whipping Cream
• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 TBS drizzed white corn syrup

Cooking Directions

1. First, make the pie crusts...
   Work in two batches for the pie crust... Add half the package of lemon cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the consistency of wet sand.  Add 1/2 the softened butter and process for one minute.
2. Dump this into the bottom of a pie pan.  I do spray mine with a vegetable oil non stick spray for guaranteed easy removal when time to serve.  Starting in the center and press the crumbs info an even flat layer.  As you work around the bottom the crumbs will begin to climb the sides.  Continue toe press the bottom until the crumb topping comes to the top of the pie shell.  Resist the urge to press that top layer of crumbs.  you want that loose sand look for the edge.  Repeat first two steps with second shell.
3. For The Pie Filling...
   In a large non-stick sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together the 3 cans of sweetened condensed milk, the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice.  raise temperature to a slow simmer.  Add the Whipping cream and continue to whisk for about 10 minutes.  The custard begins to thicken.  Do not allow to boil, gently stir throughout.  Once the custar thickens, pour evenly into the two pie shells.  
4. Cover each pie with a sheet of plastic cling wrap, gently pressing to make contact with the top of the custard to prevent as much air as possible from reaching the pie.
5. Chill in the ice box for at least 3 hours.
6. For the Whipped Topping...
   In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, begin whisking the cream.  after 1 minute, add the powdered sugar and continue to whisk at a higher speed for 5 minutes.  Check the topping to see if you can reach stiff peaks.  If not, continue to whisk, checking every minute or so.
7. Once the stiff peak stage has been reached, with the whisk whirring, slowly drizzle in the corn syrup to help keep the topping stiff for presentation.
8. Decorate the pies with the whipped topping.  A piping bag with star tip works wonderful, or simply drop dollops onto the top and smooth.
9. Return to the ice box until ready to serve.
10.  Serve chilled ...
    And of course... Enjoy!!!

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This simple recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Cakes and Pies at Home"!

These are the desserts you make for your family.  No fancy amazing wedding cakes, just the rustic beauty of the classics.  From pumpkin pie to cheesecakes to layer cakes, these are what your family craves for dessert.  You may even see a few unusual crusts and frosting ideas to try.

You get the idea. These recipes are simple, delicious and will have your family wanting dessert first...

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