Lemon Icebox Pie

Executive pastry chef Shaun Davis

Cotton Blues Kitchen + Marketplace

Hattiesburg, Miss.

This classic Southern dessert offers a tart lemon counterpoint to the sweet components. An icebox dessert is traditionally made with layers of thin cookie wafers or a cookie crust, and pastry chef Shaun Davis of Cotton Blues Kitchen combines two varieties—gingersnaps and vanilla wafers—to form the crust for this cool summer pie. Swirls of meringue form the topping.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. For crust, in food processor, pulse vanilla wafers and gingersnaps until finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse until thoroughly distributed. Press crust mixture into a 10-inch pie pan. Bake about 8 minutes or until fragrant and dry; set aside.

2. For filling, In bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon zest and egg yolks until blended and zest is fully incorporated.

3. Whisk yolk mixture into sweetened condensed milk mixture until incorporated. Pour into crust.

4. Bake pie 8 minutes; cool and then chill completely before topping.

5. Meanwhile, for Italian meringue, in the bowl of electric mixer, whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar. Place saucepan over a pot of simmering water and whisk frequently until sugar is dissolved and temperature reaches about 120 F.

6.  Remove from heat and secure bowl to mixer. Whip mixture for about 8 minutes or until fluffy. Pipe onto chilled pie filling and then torch.