Southern Lemon Icebox Pie

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven and mix the crust

   Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 350°F. Stir the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and salt together in a bowl, then pour the melted butter over and mix until every crumb looks damp, like sand at the water's edge. If you see dry patches, keep stirring rather than adding more butter.

2. 2

   Press and bake the shell

   Tip the crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate. Push them up the sides first, then flatten the base, using the bottom of a flat measuring cup to pack everything tight and even. Press firmly — a loosely packed crust crumbles when you slice. Bake 10 minutes, until it smells toasty and the edges look a shade darker. Set it on a rack while you make the filling; it does not need to cool completely.

3. 3

   Whisk the filling

   Whisk the egg yolks with the lemon zest for about a minute, until they lighten and loosen. Whisk in the condensed milk and salt until smooth, then add the lemon juice in a slow stream, whisking as you go. The mixture will visibly thicken within a minute or two — that is the acid working on the yolks and milk, and it means the filling is doing exactly what it should.

4. 4

   Fill and bake

   Pour the filling into the warm crust and smooth the top. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. You want the edges set and the center still wobbling softly, like loose gelatin, when you nudge the pan. Pull it before the surface puffs or cracks — it firms up a great deal as it cools.

5. 5

   Cool, then chill

   Cool the pie on a wire rack for about an hour, until it no longer feels warm underneath. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This is not optional downtime; the filling only reaches its sliceable, custardy texture once it is thoroughly cold.

6. 6

   Whip the cream

   Shortly before serving, beat the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to soft, billowy peaks that just hold their shape. Stop while the cream still looks glossy — a few extra seconds takes it grainy.

7. 7

   Top and slice

   Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled pie, leaving a rim of yellow filling showing if you like the look. Slice with a thin knife wiped clean between cuts, and serve cold. Add a twist of lemon zest or thin lemon slices at the last moment.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Zest your lemons before juicing them — it is miserable the other way around. Three medium lemons usually give you both the zest and the 1/2 cup of juice you need.

• 2.

  Use fresh juice, not bottled. Side-by-side the bottled version tastes dull and slightly metallic, and this pie has nowhere to hide it.

• 3.

  Save the leftover whites for meringue, or swap the whipped cream for a meringue topping browned in a 400°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

• 4.

  If your filling looks thin going into the crust, you likely added the juice too fast. Whisk another 30 seconds and give it a minute to thicken before baking.

• 5.

  Pouring the filling into a still-warm crust helps the two set together, which means cleaner slices.

• 6.

  For a tidy first slice, run a knife under hot water and dry it before each cut.

Equipment

• 9-inch pie plate
• Food processor or zip-top bag and rolling pin
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Flat-bottomed measuring cup
• Microplane or fine grater
• Citrus juicer
• Electric mixer or balloon whisk
• Wire cooling rack

Storage