Lemon Ice Box Pie

Have you ever come across a recipe that you had to try immediately? Not just one of those, “Oh, I’ll put it on my list to make” recipes, but one that, as soon as you see it, you grab your keys and head to the store kind? The ones that practically beg to be made? This Lemon Ice Box Pie was one of those. From the second I saw it, I knew I would be making it as soon as I could.


We have quite an extensive newsstand at work. I’m talking probably a thousand titles. Quite possibly more. Which means we find piles of perused magazines EVERYWHERE. Normally, I’m very good about picking them up and just putting them away, because honestly, I could care less about whether Angie and Brad are getting married, who’s on the cover of Vanity Fair, what the best new cars are, or what’s going on in the world of politics. But food magazines? Those are my weakness. A pile of the newest issues of Food and Wine or Bon Appetit? I can’t help myself. I have to flip through them. Even though I don’t actually cook, I’ve got to drool over the pictures. So imagine my absolute delight when I found a copy of Paula Deen’s Best Desserts magazine last night. A whole magazine on dessert? Literally nothing but dessert recipes? Not even a single article. Just recipe after recipe? I’m in heaven. Flipping through just the first few pages of cakes, I was hooked. I didn’t even make it through the entire magazine before I walked straight downstairs and bought it for myself.

After flipping through it repeatedly for the rest of the night, I decided I NEEDED to make the Lemon Ice Box Pie. I couldn’t live without it. I mean, what could be better than a rich lemony custard pie? I’ve never made a pie before, so this was the perfect way to start! And a great way to get back into the good graces with lemon, after our painful falling out right before Cupcake Camp. So at midnight last night, after stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work, I made my first pie. I wanted so bad to try it last night, but the whole point of an ice box pie is that it has to chill. So guess what I had for breakfast this morning?

Well lemon and I are definitely on the road to recovery. This pie is REALLY good! And fairly easy. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest thing I’ve ever made, but just about. The hardest part was just trying to figure out how many vanilla wafers equaled 1 ¾ cups of crumbs! (btw—roughly 55.) I just hope the neighbors didn’t mind me running the food processor—3 different times—at midnight. Pressing the buttered crumbs into the pie plate kind of scared me too, because it didn’t seem like it would hold together very well. It still seemed pretty dry and loose, but after its baked and chilled, it’s the perfect base. And the pie filling that's mostly just sweetened condensed milk? Can't really go wrong there! I'd eat that stuff straight out of the can! It's the perfect balance to the bite of tart lemon. The whole pie just melts in your mouth. Mmm.. Is it too soon to go cut another piece?

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Lemon Ice Box Pie
Adapted from Paula Deen’s Best Desserts 2010 Magazine
Makes one 9-inch pie (8 to 10 servings)



Crust:
1 ¾ cups crushed vanilla wafers (approx. 55 cookies)
¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
¼ cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, stirring until crumbs are moistened. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and egg yolks until smooth. Add in lemon zest and juice, whisking until smooth. Whisk in sour cream. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until center of pie is set. Let cool for 30 minutes. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, up to 3 days. Top with whipped cream when serving.