Pie!

Okay, this is not the prettiest picture because we attacked this pie before I thought to pose a nice photo for the blog. It was so yummy . . . creamy, tart, and sweet. Like the lemon yogurt cake I made earlier this month, I was inspired to make this because of fresh lemons (this time from our tree) and because my husband hearts lemon desserts. For some reason, I'm really intimidated by double crust pies and when I see a good pie recipe with just a single crust, I pay attention.

Christina, from A Thinking Stomach, posted this recipe. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should. She lives in Altadena and is both a talented writer and cook. What I'm particularly impressed with is her commitment to local produce and her garden. (And she's an English teacher . . . we should be BFFs, huh?)

A couple of cooking notes: I reduced the sugar by a couple tablespoons and added a couple tablespoons more lemon juice for a tarter pie. The mixture suddenly thickens - you think it won't and then you have a glob so stir it constantly and pay attention. Full disclosure: I used a premade crust from Trader Joe's that I had leftover from Christmas.

Lemon Sour Cream Pie (serves . . . . um . . . 4 of us, probably 8 of you)
From A Thinking Kitchen

1 homemade prebaked pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 generous tablespoon of fine grated lemon zest
1 cup sour cream

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add the egg yolks, milk, butter, lemon juice, and peel. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is thick. As soon as the mixture thickens, remove it from heat, scoop it into another container, and refrigerate it for at least two hours.

Once the mixture is cool, stir in the sour cream until completely combined. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and chill the entire pie until ready to serve.

If you want, make some "barely sweetened, vanilla-spiked whipped cream" and Just before serving, spread a generous layer of whipped cream over the surface of the filling. We left this part out because my husband likes his lemon stuff pretty sour.