Pre-bake a pie crust using your favorite pie crust recipe or, in a pinch, a purchased pie crust.
Filling
1 Tbsp. unflavored gelatine
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ cup lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
½ tsp. salt
4 well-beaten egg yolks
4 egg whites
½ sugar
lemon curd
- Cook the first seven ingredient to custard in a double boiler. This is the hardest step in this recipe. However long you think it will take, it will take longer but don’t overcook it or the eggs will scramble.
- Remove the custard from heat and allow it to begin to set. It will continue to cook in the pan. You might want to have an ice bath ready for this step. Until it begins to set, begin the next step.
- Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with the additional sugar.
- Spread the baked pie shell with lemon curd.
- Fold the beaten egg whites into the just starting to set lemon custard-gelatine combination.
- Let the pie continue to set in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- Serve with whipped cream. Real whipped cream!
You can adjust the amount of grated rind you use to your own taste. I grated a whole lemon rind and then probably used two teaspoons of it.
This recipe is an adaptation of Aunt Chick’s lemon chiffon pie recipe. You can’t go too far wrong on cream and chiffon pies if you follow Aunt Chick.
My grandmother used to make Lemon Chiffon pies all the time. She would baby-sit me in her apartment, spending much of the time cooking up these wonderful meals, desserts in her magical kitchen. It all looked so easy when she was at the helm of the pie-tin or spatula.
Perhaps, because she was such a natural in the culinary arts, especially pies, I became intimidated in trying my hand in assembling the marvels going into pie crusts, and instead focused on breads etc. Consequently, now that I am the one usually hosting holiday dinners, guests offering to bring “something,’ are given the pie slot. Another thing too… any recipe needing a double boiler is something I also tend to avoid, as I’ve chalked up quite a few failures when using them.