Food & Drink

Frozen Citrus Pie

From the sisters Sheila and Marilynn Brass, here’s a scrumptious homemade pie.

Photo © Andy Ryan

Frozen Citrus Pie

This recipe comes from two sources. The filling is an adaptation of the filling for Mrs. Carl Winchenbach’s Banana Cream Pie, and the crust is a living recipe from the collection of Fran Kelly DaCosta, a well-traveled sophisticate from Watertown, Massachusetts.

FOR CRUST

13 graham crackers, 2½ inches by 5 inches (6.25 cm by 12.7 cm) each (1 sleeve from a 3-sleeve box)
¼ cup (60 g) butter, melted
½ cup (110 g) confectioners’ sugar

FOR FILLING

1½ cups (350 ml) milk, divided
¼ cup (260 g) light corn syrup
¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
1 cup (220 g) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
6 egg yolks
½ cup lemon juice or ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice and ¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice
2 cups (475 ml) heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup (55 g) confectioners’ sugar

1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Coat a 9-inch (23 cm) ovenproof glass pie plate with vegetable spray. Set aside a medium metal bowl for the custard and a larger bowl for the ice bath. Have ice cubes handy, but keep frozen until ready to use.

2. To make the crust: Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to make crumbs the size of cornmeal (about 1½ cups) (90 g). Add butter and confectioners’ sugar and pulse to combine. Press crumbs on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake 8 minutes. Set on rack to cool.

3. To make the filling: Combine 1¼ cups (300 ml) of the milk and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until bubbles start to form around the edges, up to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Whisk cornstarch into remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) milk. Add sugar, salt, and lemon zest and mix thoroughly. Add egg yolks, one at a time, to cornstarch mixture and whisk until well blended. Add a little of the hot milk mixture to egg mixture to temper it and whisk briskly to blend. Whisk remaining hot milk mixture into eggs.

5. Return mixture to saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook about 30 seconds, stirring continuously until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and whisk. Add lemon juice and whisk again. Place custard in metal bowl and set bowl in ice bath. Stir occasionally until custard is chilled.

6. Pour heavy cream into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until thick. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar. Fold 1½ cups (300 ml) of the whipped cream into custard and turn into cooled pie shell. Pipe remaining whipped cream around edge. Place pie in the freezer several hours. Remove pie from freezer 10 minutes before serving. Store leftover pie in freezer.