I think you all are really going to love this recipe. It is light, fluffy, refreshing, zingy, and totally wonderful. The crust is a graham cracker crust, then there is a fluffy cream cheese layer, and then nestled in that layer is homemade lemon curd. It is so good. It would be great for a summer party or just to brighten up the gloomy winter with bright flavor.
The recipe starts with the lemon curd – specifically the lemons. You will need 3 fresh lemons.
Begin by zesting the lemons. Set aside.
Then juice the lemons, be sure to pour the juice through a fine strainer before using it so that you get out all the seeds. Set aside.
In a small bowl beat 5 egg yolks. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan place sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water.
Heat and stir until the mixture boils.
Continue to stir and heat until the mixture thickens and becomes almost clear.
Whisk some of this mixture into the egg yolks.
Whisk the egg yolks back into the cornstarch mixture, ta-da yellow color! Return to heat. Cook and stir until thick and smooth.
Stir in lemon zest and juice.
Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.
Cool over an ice bath or overnight in the refrigerator.
Once the lemon curd is cooled you can work on the fluffy cream cheese layer. In the bowl of an electric mixer place cool whip, room temperature cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature all the way through, if it is still cold it will make your cream cheese layer lumpy.
Beat together until smooth.
Place the cream cheese mixture in the graham cracker crust.
Smooth the cream cheese mixture out and make a nest in the middle.
Pour the cooled lemon curd into the nest, you may have extra lemon curd but it has lots of uses. You could use it as a sauce for Fresh Lemon Angel Food Cake or as an ice cream topping, or just eat it on its own!
You can decorate the pie with a slice of lemon if you would like too. Enjoy!!!
Ingredients:
- 1¼c. sugar
- 5T. cornstarch
- smidgen salt
- 1½c. water
- 5 egg yolks, beaten
- juice and zest of 3 fresh lemons
- 1T. butter
- 1 large graham cracker crust
- 8oz cool whip, thawed
- 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 2c. powdered sugar
Directions:
In a medium saucepan heat and stir together sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, cook and stir until thickened.
Whisk a small amount of the thickened mixture into the egg yolks, then whisk all the egg yolk back into the thickened mixture.
Return to heat, cook and stir until thick and smooth.
Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Cool completely and chill.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the cool whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until smooth.
Place the cream cheese mixture into the graham cracker crust and spread it so that there is a nest in the middle of it for the lemon curd.
Fill the nest with the lemon curd. Decorate with lemon slice if desired.
