Showcase Lemon Pie

This is likely a picture of America's first railway locomotive, the Tom Thumb. The builder, Peter Cooper, not only built the Tom Thumb in 1830, he also invented and patented a dessert gelatin in 1845. He never really had any commercial success with his gelatin invention, that success came later after the invention's ownership rights had changed hands several times. The gelatin acquired the iconic name of Jell-O in 1895 and it's popularity soared throughout the 1900's. As a major brand, Jell-O played an outsized role in forming today's industrialized foodscape. Presently, the Jell-O brand is owned by Kraft Foods.

True to the era, my childhood included lots of Jell-O. From the simply flavored to exotic ringed and creamed creations, gelatin desserts were everywhere in the 1960's. Banana slices incorporated into the gelatins were my mother's most common use for Jell-O. I don't think Jell-O is as popular as it once was. Even so, if you're planning to use a red gelatin around Thanksgiving, you'd be wise to buy it early. Especially on this holiday, red Jell-O is still a hot item and it consistently gets sold out!

Though often mocked and considered old-school banal (Hey! I'm still talking about Jell-O here!), gelatins do have their uses. This recipe allows you to create a showcase dessert. Much of this recipe idea came from one seen in the magazine "bon appetit".

Lemon Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 & 1/4 cup - finely ground gingersnap cookies (about 26 cookies)
• 2 tablespoons - sugar
• 1 teaspoon - minced crystallized ginger
• 5 tablespoons - unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 cups - ice cubes

And:

• 1/4 cup - water
• 1 - envelope unflavored gelatin

And:

• 3/4 cup - sugar
• 3/4 cup - fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 - large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons - finely grated lemon peel
• 1/8 teaspoon - salt

And:

• 1 & 1/4 cup - chilled whipping cream
• 1/4 cup - sugar (powdered sugar best option)

Crust Preparation:

Mix gingersnap cookie crumbs, sugar, and ginger in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir to evenly moisten. Put this crumb mixture into a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Press the mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Place onto the center rack of a 350 degree oven and bake for about 9 minutes. The crust will need to cool completely after it's baked.

Filling Preparation:

Fill a bowl about half way with cold water and to this add the 2 cups of ice cubes.
This will be used to cool the pot and the mixture within it as it comes off the stove.

Pour 1/4 cup water into small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over. Let this stand about 15 minutes to soften.

Mix 3/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and salt in a medium saucepan to blend. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stir continuously. Cook until mixture thickens slightly, about 6 minutes - do not boil. We want the mixture to attain a temperature of 160 degrees farenheit. Now, add the gelatin mixture stirring until dissolved and smooth, about 1 minute. Place the sauce pan in the bowl of ice water until the filling is cool to touch, stir occasionally, about 8 minutes. Afterwards, transfer lemon mixture to a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the chilled whipping cream and sugar until peaks form. Fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture until incorporated. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in three additions. Transfer the filling to the cooled crust mounding slightly in the center.

Refrigerate the pie until set, about 4 hours. Let the pie stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish as you see fit to do. Perhaps lemon curls, or blueberry compote, or raspberries could serve as a garnish.

Comments:

Be somewhat careful with the crust as it could come out fairly hard. I think I allowed mine to linger in the oven a bit too long. Though even with that mistake the crust was enjoyable. You won't get any complaints about this dessert and it's one of the easier showcase things to pull off.