Lemon Cream Pie

I am a closet Tasty Kake Lemon Pie lover, there I said it, it’s out in the open. I feel better now. For those of you who don’t know what they are, it’s a company that makes treats, you know like Little Debbie or Hostess. There everywhere in Pennsylvania, staring me in the face, beckoning me, calling my name. I have no will power, am I ashamed…….not!!   To Read More, Click On The Recipe Title

These things are awesome! So awesome in fact that I set out on a search to find a recipe that would be as close as possible to my little hand held treats. Inside of these little pies is a smooth soft as silk pie filling that is not an over powering lemon but just enough, the filling is more of a pudding and very pale yellow. Not like a a Lemon Meringue Pie, oh no better. So my search started, I knew I didn’t want lemon Meringue, the filling I was after had to have milk in it to give it that pale yellow color. After looking at many recipes…….I saw it! There it was on RecipeZaar!! Ok not the copy kat recipe, but a recipe that looked and sounded like it could be something close! I’m reading through it…half and half, lots of egg yolks , sour cream, yeah this sounds good , and easy. Make a pie crust , through all the ingredients for the pie filling in one pot on the stove and add the sour cream after it’s cooked and thickened. Easy!! The recipe said to wait 4 hours after you put the filling in the baked pie crust, it was a very long 4 hours. It was long cause I just knew it was gonna be good, and it was. Oh yes it was, it was as close to those little treats as I’m ever gonna come. The Half and Half, the lemon and the sour cream gave this pie a wonderful tang, not to sweet, not to tart just enough. I could have sat with a spoon and just ate the filling! I didn’t have Half and Half so I made my own with 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream, that makes one cup of Half and Half the recipe called for 2 cups so I just doubled it. It worked just fine. The pie crust is from guess who…… Paula Deen! I also made the Secret Chef’s Whipped Cream and put it on the top cause we can’t have a naked pie. If you love lemon like I love lemon try this pie!!

Lemon Cream Pie
RecipeZaar

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zest of
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 baked pie shell

Directions
1 In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, half-and-half, butter, lemon juice and zest, and egg yolks.
2 Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils.
3 Remove from heat.
4 Add sour cream and mix well.
5 Pour filling into pie shell.
6 Cover with plastic wrap and cool at room temperature until set

Paula’s Perfect Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold
12 tablespoons butter, (1 1/2 sticks) cold and cubed
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Add the shortening and break it up with your hands as you start to coat it all up with the flour. Add the cold butter cubes and work it into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn’t get too soft, until the mixture is crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming a dough. Bring the dough together into a ball. When it comes together stop working it otherwise the dough will get over-worked and tough. Divide the dough in half and flatten it slightly to form a disk shape. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. On a floured surface roll each disk out into a 10 to 11-inch circle to make a 9-inch pie. Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts