Lemon Forsythia Pie

From backyard cookouts, to picnics at the lake, to bridal showers and other events, summer time  provides countless opportunities for trying out new desserts.  My mom shared with me a recipe a few weeks ago that was given to her over 30 years ago, and I've been waiting for an opportunity to try it out.  This past weekend we attended a dinner for some missionaries who were visiting our church, and my assignment was dessert.  I love it when I get to do dessert!  It's much more interesting than making a salad or bringing condiments for burgers.

One of the things that I like to try to do when I make dessert for a small crowd is to make two different kinds {this isn't a hard and fast rule, but it's my desire}, one of a chocolate sort and one that is not.  A lot of people love chocolate, but some people don't, so it's nice to offer something for both groups.  The two desserts that I made were great because one called for egg yolks, the other for egg whites; both required heavy cream.  This made it more economical when purchasing my ingredients and helped me to not waste anything.  {Just a little tip for you as you plan out dessert menus!}  I had some lemons leftover from making this lemonade, so I decided to make this Lemon Pie.  The second dessert I made can be found here--it's basically a chocolate truffle in tart form.

Lemon Forsythia Pie was delightfully light, not too sweet, and not too lemony.  It's perfect for summer and very easy to make.  Enjoy!

Lemon Forsythia Pie


Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a pastry blender, mix flour, butter, sugar and salt until crumbly.  Place 1/3 cup of this mixture into a greased baking dish.  Press the remaining mixture into a greased and floured 9-inch pie plate.  Bake both in 375F oven for 12-15 minutes.  Cool.

Filling:
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Combine egg whites, sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.  Beat until stiff, a long time {close to 10 minutes}.  Whip cream* and fold into lemon mixture.  Place into baked pie crust and top with the crumbs that were baked in the baking dish.  Chill.  Can be frozen.


*Before whipping the cream, place either a glass or stainless steel bowl in the fridge.  Whipping cream in a cold bowl will help the cream to whip more quickly.  


This pie would also be delicious served with Blueberry Compote.