Recipe: Lemon Pie

MANILA, Philippines — Lemon is a fruit that is not endemic to the Philippines, but we have somehow been able to cultivate our own local lemon. It’s a welcome development because the versatile lemon has many culinary uses, be it in savory dishes or sweet treats.

In a special baking demonstration at The Maya Kitchen, Chef Christine "Kittin" Zenarosa showed the class how to prepare Lemon Pie, one of her specialties.

Ingredients:

For the Graham pie crust:

6 tbsps. salted butter
1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/4  cup sugar

For the lemon curd:

3 pcs. lemon
4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup butter, chopped

Procedure:

1. Do the pie crust in advance by mixing all ingredients together and pressing firmly with the hand or a spoon onto an 8- or 9-inch round pie pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Make the lemon curd. Finely grate the rind of a piece of lemon. Juice all lemons. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Add the lemon rind and 2/3 cup lemon juice, whisking constantly until well combined. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (*do not allow base to touch water). Cook by stirring with a wooden spoon for 30 to 35 minutes or until thick and custard-like. Do not allow to boil.

3. Remove from heat and whisk in butter.

4. Pour the lemon curd over chilled pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

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