Zesty Lemon Icebox Pie

Neal's grandma's birthday was this weekend and for her requested cake/dessert, she asked for a lemon icebox pie. A what? Icebox? Yeah.. I had no clue. Ha! So I went to my trusty Southern Living website and searched for icebox pies. After sifting through a few recipes, I came across this one. Looked easy and sounded delicious, so I crossed my fingers and hoped this would be similar to what she asked for.

The original recipe called for a graham cracker crust, which I'm not a huge fan of. Especially with a fruit pie - it just didn't seem right! So I substituted a classic dough pie crust instead with fantastic results. I had to bake the crust by itself first before adding in the filling since the filling only cooks for 15 minutes. The pie itself was heavenly. The zesty lemon flavor paired perfectly with the sweetened condensed milk making a tart and sweet creamy filling that tasted uh-mazing. I topped it all with a layer of lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream and twisted lemon slices. It was a very simple dessert but the ending flavor turned out amazing. I didn't have the patience time to wait for it to completely cool, but I think waiting the full time would make it even better. (For the pie crust recipe, click here. This recipe makes enough for two crusts, so cut in half for just a single pie.)

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-baked pie crust
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• Garnish: fresh lemon slices, mint leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth. Pour into baked pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill for 4 hours.

Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar on high speed until soft peaks form. Dollop and smooth over cooled pie. Top with fresh lemon slices and mint leaves and serve immediately.