Lemon Chiffon Pie

Light and Luscious



A couple of weeks ago I posted a photo of one of my "goto" desserts - a quick and easy icebox lime pie. I refused to publish the recipe on Seriously Good - it isn't. I wrote the recipe off as having, "no art, no style, and not a smidgeon of self-respect," and promised to post my recipe for Key Lime Chiffon Pie.

Jackie, a friend of mine, wanted to know what the difference is between the Icebox Lime Pie I pictured and the chiffon pie I promised to post a recipe for. In fact, the difference is art, style, and self-respect. A proper chiffon pie doesn't contain sweetened condensed milk. It's body comes from a sauce made using egg yolks. This sauce is then lightened with whipped egg whites and cream. Genuine fresh key limes are used instead of the bottled stuff and the mixture sets because of gelatin instead of the canned milk. It is light, even etheral, and one of the best things on earth.

A proper chiffon pie is light, even etheral, and one of the best things on earth.

Sadly, I've been having trouble finding fresh key limes. They're not an ingredient I can rely on around here, and so I elected to do a Lemon Chiffon Pie instead. I prefer the darker pungency of key limes to lemons, but this is still an excellent recipe and is essentially my Key Lime Chiffon Pie recipe.

Lemon Chiffon Pie
Serves 8.

Crust:
1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon zest (or key lime zest)
4 1/2 tbsp butter — melted
Filling:
1 c water
1/2 c sugar
Zest from 1 lg. lemon (or one Persian lime)
1 (1/4 oz) envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3 c fresh lemon juice (or key lime juice*)
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs — separated
1 tbsp grated lemon zest (or key lime zest)
1 c whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Thoroughly combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, grated zest, and butter in a medium bowl. Press into the bottom (only) of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Set the crust on a wire rack to cool.

Once completely cooled, gently remove springform side, line side with plastic wrap (to minimize later sticking), and re-attach to base.

Filling:
Peel a lemon with a vegetable peeler removing only the zest.

Combine the water and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer. Stir in the lemon zest and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve.

Place lemon zest on a piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle lightly with sugar (I used a coarse decorative sugar).

Cool syrup to about 90 degrees (noticeably warm, but not hot) and sprinkle the gelatin over the syrup. Let it soften for 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and the 2 egg yolks. Stir over low heat until the mixture is thick and frothy (10 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.

Beat the egg whites and 2 tablespoons of the sugar with an electric mixer until stiff.

In another bowl, whip the cream, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar until thick. Mix 1/3 of the whipped cream into the lemon sauce mixture to lighten.

Add remaining whipped cream and egg whites to bowl and fold into until the mixture is smooth (don't overwork it though). Spoon it into the prepared crust and chill, uncovered, until firm (2 to 3 hours).

Garnish with sugared lemon peel and a light sprinkle of finely minced mint.

*Note: The best way to juice key limes is to cut them in half then use a garlic press to squeeze out the juice.

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