This recipe makes an extra large 11-12 inch pie. If you only have a smaller pie plate, bake the extra in an individual sized pie plate or large creme brulee ramekins. I recently picked up a few vintage pyrex 206s at a yard sale. Awesome for dough and filling leftovers too!
1tablespoonlemon zest(about the zest of 1-2 lemons)
1 8oz packagecream cheese, softened to room temperature
1tablespoonlimoncello(optional)
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
Preheat oven to 350°
In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ground almonds, butter and sugar.
Kneed until crumbs form. (To test consistency, gather a handful and squeeze. If the crumble forms a ball in your hand, it is ready. If it fails to come together, add melted butter one tablespoon at a time until it comes together).
Press crust into pie plate. then blind bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the crust and let cool partially.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°
Lemon Pie Filling
In a large bowl , whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, and sweetened condensed milk.
Add sugar and lemon zest to the condensed milk mixture and stir until combined.
Add softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth.
If using, whisk in limoncello.
Pour lemon custard into the pie crust and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until custard is set. It should have just a slight wobble in the middle when set.
Cool pie at room temperature and then transfer to a refrigerator to chill. (This step is very important! Putting a hot dish in a cold refrigerator can crack the dish!)
Serving
Refrigerate or freeze pie until ready to serve.
Top with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
Notes
This recipe can be made in the most basic of kitchens if you buy pre-prepped ingredients. Most grocery stores carry graham cracker crumbs, almond meal and frozen lemon juice. Save yourself some time, the shortcuts won't be noticeable in this recipe.
If you don't have a zester or a microplane, use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest. If any white pith comes along, scrape it off with a paring knife and then chop the zest with a chefs knife until very fine.
Doubling the recipe makes three regular 8 inch pies. Might sound like a lot of pie, but I've done this while on beach vacations with the family and the pies disappear fast!