It’s been a little while since the last time I posted anything, for a few reasons: I’ve been busy looking for a new apartment in a new borough of New York to call home and because Google Chrome apparently had my WordPress admin page blacklisted for about a week, and every time I opened it, the whole page would go black. So weird! I’ve got plenty of exciting things coming up, and hopefully soon, a new apartment to decorate and call home, but I wanted to share this amazing recipe with you.

I made this Lemon Cream Pie for Easter last weekend, and it would suit any Greek Easter celebration this week, and basically any spring or summer gathering to come. With just a spoonful (well, two) of sugar, and a tasty gingersnap crust, this pie is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

What would I change? Next time I’d make my crust a little thicker, and I’d also probably bake it for a little less time. The crust is still soft when it comes out of the oven, but hardens over time, and it was a little bit difficult to cut the first and second day we ate the pie and its leftovers. The third day the crust had softened because of the pie filling sitting in the fridge, and was much easier to cut and eat.  But, either way, it was a big hit at the dessert table, and was my first major deviance from baking a chocolate dessert in a long time!

Recipe (adapted from Real Simple, April 2012):

• 9 ounces gingersnaps (about 35) (I would do a little more next time and maybe do 1.5 times each of the other ingredients for the crust because the crust shrunk up to almost nothing)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used regular iodized, it was fine)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus more for serving, plus 1/2 cup lemon juice (I squeezed my own lemons for this, and then zested the fresh lemons, which I think makes a huge difference in the taste)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a food processor, process the gingersnaps until fine crumbs form. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Spread the crust to the very edges of the pie plate, as it will shrink when it bakes. Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are dry and set, 16 to 18 minutes. (Note: The bottom will still appear moist and soft but will become firmer as it cools; this is a crunchy cookie crust, not a soft, graham cracker-style one.) Let cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, condensed milk, lemon zest and juice, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until set in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool and then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. (I served mine the next day, so I let the pie refrigerate overnight and skipped step 3 until I was about to take it to the party.)
3. With an electric mixer, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium until peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spread on the pie, sprinkle with the additional zest, and serve immediately.