Lemon meringue ice-cream pie in toasted pecan crust
I had never really had lemon meringue pie much growing up, so it was never on my pie radar. However, some truly delicious lemon meringue pie in Stockholm led me to start investigating recipes. When I ran across this one that involved the glorious combination of lemon meringue and ice cream, I just couldn't resist!
Recipe
from Bon Appetit DessertsLemon curd2 large eggs2 large egg yolks6 tbsp unsalted butter1 cup sugar6 tbsp fresh lemon juice2 tsp finely grated lemon peelpinch of saltCrust1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans1/4 cup sugar1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted3 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, dividedMeringue4 large egg whites, room temperature6 tbsp sugarpinch of cream of tartarTo make the lemon curd, whisk eggs and egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Melt butter in medium metal bowl set over large saucepan of simmering water. Whisk in sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel and salt; gradually whisk in egg mixture. Whisk until curd is thick and thermometer inserted into center registers 178 F to 180 F, about 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of curd; chill 4 hours.Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix pecans, sugar, and melted butter in medium bowl until evenly moistened. Press pecan mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9" glass pie dish or tart pan. Bake until crust is lightly toasted, about 12 minutes. Crust will slip down sides of dish; use back of spoon to press crust back into place. Cool crust on rack. Freeze crust 30 minutes. Spoon 1-1/2 cups ice cream into crust; spread to even layer. Spread lemon curd over ice cream; freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Spoon remaining 1-1/2 cups ice cream over lemon curd; spread to even layer. Cover and freeze pie until firm, about 2 hours.To make the meringue, using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until frothy. Beat in cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Spoon meringue over pie, spreading to seal at edges and swirling decoratively. Freeze pie 1 hour. Using kitchen torch, toast meringue until golden in spots or place pie in a preheated 500 F oven until meringue is golden in spots, watching closely to avoid burning, about 3 minutes. Cut pie into wedges; serve immediately.
Musings
Though somewhat laborious to make (mostly due to multiple stages of freezing), the pie was scrumptious! There were great juxtapositions between the tartness of the lemon against the sweet meringue and ice cream, as well as the crunchiness of the pecan crust against the creamy ice cream. I'd made a straight-up lemon meringue pie last week that tasted good, though it was quite tart, so it was nice that this recipe included ice cream to undercut the tartness a little bit. A lovely, pretty dessert!