Lemon Cream Pie

Serve up a slice of sunshine with this fluffy cream pie.

Pie Crust:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling dough
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. sugar
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. ice water + 2 more, if needed

Pie Filling:
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (from about 4 lemons)
¼ tsp. sea salt

Topping:
1 tsp. unflavoured gelatin (from a ¼ oz env)
1½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar

For the Pie Crust:
In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar several times to combine. Add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces remaining.

Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 Tbsp. more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time). Do not overprocess.

Turn dough out onto a work surface; form dough into a ¾"-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Before baking, unwrap dough; place on a large piece of floured waxed paper. Roll dough to a 14" round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin (discarding paper); carefully unroll over a 9" pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate.

Trim overhang to 1"; fold overhang under itself. Pinch between thumb and forefinger to make a uniform edge around the rim. Crimp edge; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C, Gas Mark 7). Line crust with aluminum foil; leave an overhang and fold over edge.

Fill crust with dried beans, pie weights, or uncooked rice. Place crust on a baking sheet; bake until set and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove foil (and beans). Bake without foil, 5-10 minutes more; if crust bubbles up, press down gently. Cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4).

For the Filling:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, sour cream, and salt; gradually whisk in lemon juice. Pour mixture into crust. Place on a baking sheet; bake until barely set (center of pie will still wiggle slightly), 25-35 minutes. Cool completely.

For the Topping:
Place 2 Tbsp. cold water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with gelatin; let soften about 5 minutes. Heat mixture over very low heat, stirring, until gelatin dissolves. Let cool.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar until very soft peaks form. While beating, slowly add gelatin mixture, and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, spread over cooled pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes: Gelatin stabilizes the whipped cream so it stays firm on the pie when made ahead. If you plan to serve the pie soon after making it, you can omit the gelatin.