Lemon Chiffon Pie

• servings: 1 pie
• total time: 5 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 Single-Crust Pie Pastry Dough

1 (1/4-oz.) pckg. powdered gelatin

2/3 cup + 3 Tbsp. water, divided

3 lemons

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

4 eggs, separated and divided

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

Prepare pie dough:

Generously flour your work surface and the outside of your pie dough, and roll the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick disc. Transfer the dough to a 9-in. metal pie pan, and trim the dough so that there is a 3/4-inch overhang of dough around the circumference. Fold the edge of the dough under itself, and press to seal the dough, making a rim for the pie crust. Crimp the rim in whatever pattern you prefer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Bake pie shell:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove piecrust from refrigerator or freezer, and place it on a baking sheet. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the piecrust, and fill the parchment paper with pie weights. (You can use dried beans as pie weights.) Bake the piecrust in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and allow to sit for 10 minutes before taking out the parchment paper and weights from the crust. Place crust back in the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes. The crust should be lightly tan on the edges and the bottom of the crust should have some color as well.

Prepare filling:

Place gelatin in 3 Tbsp. water and stir to combine; set aside. Over a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 2/3 cup water, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25-30 minutes. Whisk in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and refrigerate for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes, until consistency has slightly thickened and mixture has cooled completely.

Fold in egg whites and chill:

Beat egg whites on medium-high until soft peaks form. Slowly stream in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg white mixture into chilled lemon mixture in 3 additions, waiting until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Pour filling into pie crust and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours or overnight.

Top with whipped cream and serve:

Whip cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of remaining lemon zest and mix to combine. Scoop whipped cream onto the center of the pie and spread it slightly around, leaving much of the lemon chiffon surface exposed. Sprinkle the entire pie with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest and serve.