Lemon Custard Pie
Smooth and creamy lemon filling nestled in a golden flaky pastry crust and crowned with a fluffy border of lemon-kissed whipped cream.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 egg white, for brushing the crust
Lemon Custard Filling:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ⅓ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Lemon Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a small bowl, combine the water and sour cream; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar and salt together. Scatter the shortening over the flour, then use a cheese grater to grate the butter on top. Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream mixture and use a stiff rubber spatula to stir and press the dough together until it forms one big mound. If dough is still too dry and doesn’t hold together, add another tablespoon of water.
- Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a 5-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Once chilled, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle and fit into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Trim, fold, and crimp the edge of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes until chilled and firm.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. To blind-bake, I like to press a sheet of aluminum foil into the pie pan since it gets into the crevices better than parchment paper. I then pour pie weights (or dried beans or rice) on top of the foil. Place pie plate onto a baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15-16 minutes.
- Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the aluminum foil (with the dried beans or rice) out of the pie. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and brush egg white evenly over crust. Return to oven and bake until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes longer. Remove and reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.
Make the Filling:
- In a large bowl whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together. Add the eggs and egg yolk, whisking until just combined. Whisk in the lemon juice.
- Pour the milk and heavy cream into a large saucepan. Heat on the stove over medium heat until you begin to see tiny bubbles along the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.
- Temper the egg mixture by slowly pouring a cup of the warmed milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Slowly pour the rest of the warmed milk into the egg mixture, and continue whisking.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until mixture thickens and reaches an internal temperature of 170ºF - 180ºF. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve to strain out any cooked egg bits. Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla.
- Pour the filling into the baked crust, and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until edges look puffed and center jiggles when you gently shake the pie plate. It should have an internal temperature of 175ºF - 180ºF.
- Allow pie to cool on a cooling rack. Once it reaches room temperature, chill pie in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to allow it to firm and set up.
Make the Whipped Cream:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, zest, and vanilla, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Stir in the lemon juice. Transfer whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe along the border of the pie. Slice, serve, and enjoy!