by: Kate McMillan
Cook Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
Serves 8
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
Serves 8
summary
This beautiful strawberry lemon pie is so simple to make and is such a crowd-pleaser. A homemade crust is baked and filled with luscious, creamy lemon filling and topped with fresh strawberries. You can top this lemon pie with other fresh fruit, including blueberries, figs or blackberries.
ingredients
- Pie Crust Ingredients:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 8 tablespoons very cold, unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons ice-cold water
- Lemon Filling Ingredients:
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1½ cups sugar
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ cups cold water
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced for topping
directions
- To make the pie crust, place the flour, salt and sugar in the base of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse several times to mix together. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the food processor, pulsing until you have very small pieces of butter. With the motor running, add the water. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t come together at this point. Transfer to a flour-dusted work surface and knead a few times to bring the dough together. Form the dough into a disc, cover in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and, working on a flour-dusted surface, roll the dough out to about a 14-inch circle. Place dough into a 9-inch pie dish and fold over the edges, crimping as you go. Cover the pie crust with aluminum foil and fill the bottom with pie weights or uncooked beans. Bake until the edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment, prick the bottom with a fork in a few spots and continue baking until fully cooked and golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Set aside.
- To make the lemon filling, beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add the water, set the pan over medium heat and whisk until completely blended. Whisk often and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for an additional minute.
- Add ½ cup of the hot sugar mixture to the bowl of egg yolks and stir to combine. Add another ½ cup of the hot sugar mixture and stir to combine. This will temper the eggs so they don’t scramble in the saucepan. Add the egg yolk and sugar mixture back to the saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking vigorously and constantly. Once this mixture is at a full boil, cook for an additional minute, whisking constantly. The filling should be very very thick. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the lemon juice, zest and butter. Stir until the butter melts.
- Pour the lemon filling into the pie crust and let cool for 20 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. When you are ready to serve, decorate with strawberries.
notes
For a flaky crust, make sure the butter and ice water are very cold.
Cook the pie crust completely as it will not be cooked again after adding the lemon curd.
Do not put the strawberries on top too early, up to an hour before serving. They will begin to macerate, creating a puddle of juice.
You can decorate with strawberries however you like, but look for similar-sized strawberries for a uniform design.
It is very important to gradually temper the eggs when making the filling. If you add eggs to a large amount of boiling liquid, the eggs will scramble and make lumps.
It is very important to wait for the filling to boil and then cook for a full additional minute. This will ensure that the filling sets up and is sliceable.
