Lemon Pie With Lavender Mascarpone Cream
"It is that time year when lemons are falling off the bush in my backyard and when life gives you lemons make lemon pie. While I love the lemon custard in lemon meringue pie, I am not so fond of the meringue. So I thought about what type of topping to do instead and I came up with the idea of Mascarpone whipped cream. The idea came to me as I was having lunch with a friend who told me about making cannoli. Originally I wanted to make the cannoli filling for the top, but decided to go for an easier root. Then I thought about what should I flavor it with and I remembered the amazing lemon lavender sugar cookies another friend makes every year. The flavors of the lemon and lavender in the pie came out very subtle and not overpowering. The pie also traveled well as it went to my mother’s house two hours away for her birthday. My recommendation is to make the pie the night before and chill over night. My husband and I were able to pry one piece away from my parents that we had the next day. Chilling just made the pie even better, and brightened the dreary rainy day."
photo by Sarah P.
- Ready In:
- 1hr 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 20
- Yields:
-
8-10 slices
- Serves:
- 8-10
ingredients
- 1 1⁄3 cups sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 egg yolks
- 1⁄2 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 2 cups mascarpone
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons dried lavender
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
- 1⁄4 cup coconut oil, cold
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1⁄4 cup cold water
- 1 egg for an egg wash (optional)
directions
- Sift flour, sugar, and salt together to make sure they are thoroughly combined.
- Cut in the ½ cup of cold butter that has been cubed. I personally use a food processor for this, but you can always do this with your hands or pastry blender.
- Pulse the processor six times so the mixture ranges in size from breadcrumbs to lima beans. Then add in the coconut oil to the mixture. (You can always use vegetable shortening instead, but I personally like the flavor that the coconut oil gives to the crust of the pie. Pulse six times or cut the oil in till it resembles the same consistency as the butter addition.
- Add in the cream cheese and repeat the process. Now it is time to add the chilled water to the mixture. I add a small amount at time to make sure the mixture does not become to wet. The mixture will have a crumbly look to it, but comes together when you work it with your hand on a flat surface. Split the dough in half into packages if doing a double crust. Let the dough chill at least an hour in.
- Bring the heavy cream to a simmer and take it off the heat. Add the lavender into the cream and let it steep for half an hour. (Your kitchen will smell amazing!) After it has steeped for half an hour strain the mixture and chill in the refrigerator over night.
- Baking the Crust.
- Roll out the bottom crust and place into the pie dish. Trim and scallop the edge of the pie crust, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes till the pie crust is set.
- Once the crust has set take it out of the freezer and get you pie weights ready for the blind baking. I use old beans and ceramic pie weights for my pies. Place a piece of foil into the pie crust with the edges of the foil going over the sides of the pie dish. You want it to be easy to remove the pie weights from the center of pie crust.
- Place the pie on the center rack for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes remove the foil and pie weights from the pie dish. Then prick the bottom of the pie and the sides if it has started to puff out.
- Bake the crust for 15 to 17 more minutes. If the edges of the crust already look golden at this point, cover the edges with foil so that they do not burn. Take the crust out after it appears fully baked and let it cool on a wire rack.
- Making the Filling.
- Whisk the cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a medium saucepan making sure there are no lumps of cornstarch. Add the water, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the mixture. Next add the egg yolks to mixture and whisk together to make sure that they are combined completely. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture constantly until it comes to a boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil lower the temperature. At this point the mixture will visibly start to thicken up and begin to take on a thicker consistency. After lower the temperature continue to whisk the mixture for about a minute. Then pour the warm mixture into prebaked piecrust. Let the mixture cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill.
- Mascarpone Whipped Cream.
- Whip the infused cream till it is slightly fluffy (about a minute). Then add in the mascarpone to the mixture along with the powdered sugar. Whip the mixture till it forms stiff peaks.
- Pipe the cream onto the pie and serve or let it chill overnight.
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Reviews
-
Definitely has a lot of potential. I loved the way the lemon filling for this turned out. I thought it had a great flavor, and set up very well. I think if I were to make it again, I would only use one cup of marscarpone instead of two. This made an awful lot of the topping, and I thought it really overwhelmed the pie. I liked using the cream cheese in the crust. Overall, a nice pie, but could use a little tweaking.
