St. Simons Island Lemon Pie

Saint Simons Lemon Pie Amazon 9” Deep Dish Pie Pan

Lemon pie is one of those pies that fulfills the biggest desire for a luscious, rich dessert and is a great finish to almost any meal or to indulge with a cup of coffee whenever that craving hits you.

It all started with a small cluster of citrus trees we planted in our front yard on St. Simons Island, Ga. We observed a fruit getting larger and larger on one of our trees. Several neighbors commented about our 'avocados'. Since we did not recall planting an avocado tree, we decided to cut into it. To our surprise it was a huge lemon. With a little research, I learned we had grown a Ponderosa Lemon. A Pondersoa lemon can weight up to five pounds! As you can see from the picture, our lemons weigh over 2 pounds each! With a thick skin, it can be harder to work with than a smaller lemon, but it is definitely worth the effort to get the juice out of this lemon. The juice from the Pondersoa Lemon has a the perfect tart for pies and lemonade.

The tree stands only 5 feet right now and is loaded with the most beautiful lemons that are green until they turn yellow beginning at the end of November through December on Saint Simons Island, Ga.

We always strive to eat what we grow when possible. With our annual holiday party on St. Simons Island approaching, I set out to make a pie out of the lemons. It only took one lemon to get 2/3 cup of juice, enough to make this scrumptious lemon pie. If you are not fortunate enough to have access to a Ponderosa lemon, you can substitute any lemon to achieve 2/3 cup of juice. If you prefer a strong lemon flavor, increase the amount of juice to 1 cup. I have made the pie with both amounts and I prefer to add 1 cup of lemon juice to get a really good lemon flavor! To decrease the sugar content, I use Truvia Sugar Blend, a mix of stevia leaf extract, erythritol, and cane sugar. It provides 75% less calories than sugar. If you decide to use sugar in place of Truvia, double the amount since Truvia is twice as sweet as sugar. I will provide measurements for Truvia or sugar in the recipe below.

St. Simons Lemon Pie

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 c. crushed graham cracker crumbs

6 Tablespoons of melted butter

2 Tablespoons of Truvia Sugar Blend or 1/3 c. sugar

Directions:

Melt butter and mix butter, Truvia Sugar Blend, and graham cracker crumbs together in a bowl. Press into a 1-DEEP 9 " or 2 -shallow 9" pie pans and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees until it appears to be set.

Lemon Pie Mixture

1 cup Pondersona lemon juice or other lemon juice (1 Ponderosa Lemon or 2-3 other lemons)

3 cans (14 ounces) Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 egg yolks

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Mix lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and kosher salt together with your mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. ( I use my kitchenAid with the shield and just leave it for a few minutes).

2. Pour into cooked and cooled graham cracker pie crust.

3. Bake for about 10 minutes until the middle of the pie does not jiggle anymore.

4. Cool and refrigerate for an hour or overnight before adding whipped topping.

Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups heavy cream

2 Tablespoons of Swerve Confectioners Sugar or Regular Confectioners Sugar (depending on preference)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Zest to sprinkle on topping

Directions:

1. Mix on medium to high speed of mixer for about 4-5 minutes until it forms peaks, but before it starts to clump. Do not over-mix! Watch closely.

2. Spread on top of refrigerated pie, sprinkle lemon zest on top, and return to the refrigerator. (Makes 1 deep dish pie or 2 shallow pies.)

3. Cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour. If it will be the next day before serving to guests, I like to place another pie plate turned over on top and wrap with saran wrap to keep it fresh.

Guests will love the blend of the graham crackers with the creamy lemon pie and whipped cream topping.

Alternative: You may use lime juice in place of lemon juice for a great Key Lime Pie.

We hope you enjoy this luscious, creamy pie!

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