Meyer Lemon Gelato Pie – Happy Pi Day
It’s Pi Day – 3.14159265359
March 14 is Pi Day, the day on which the math nerds the world over pay homage to the great mathematical constant. Meyer Lemon Gelato Pie is the perfect way to celebrate. Pi may be constant, but Meyer lemons are not. If you are not up for a frozen dessert right now, buy some Meyers, juice them and freeze the juice. This will delight your family and guests come summertime.
The gelato is quite soft when first made, however after 24 hours in the freezer it will be firm enough to cut beautifully. I know I’ll hear from the purists that after being frozen solid this can’t rightly be called gelato. But who wants to argue over dessert? And don’t omit the Mascarpone from the whipped cream topping. It will stabilize the cream and impart a velvety texture. Top with a few very thinly cut lemon twists, and you have a refreshing and pretty dessert.
Meyer Lemon Gelato Pie
makes 1 nine inch pie
Crust
1 1/2 cups ground honey graham crackers (about 18)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Meyer Lemon Gelato
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
Whipped Cream Topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Mascarpone
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Thinly sliced lemon twists to garnish
Make the crust:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Melt butter in small bowl and set aside. Fit food processor with metal knife. Place graham crackers in workbowl of food processor and pulse to finely grind. Place 1 ½ cups ground graham crackers in medium bowl. Add granulated sugar and stir to combine. Continue stirring as you pour melted butter over graham cracker mixture. Combine well.
Press onto bottom and ½ inch up sides of 9 inch springform pan. Place on baking sheet and bake on center rack of oven 10 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely. Do not remove crust from springform pan.
Make the Meyer Lemon Gelato:
Prepare an ice water bath (see Food Nerd Notes below.) Scrub and dry lemons. Zest and juice lemons. Set aside.
Place milk, cream, granulated sugar and zest in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat to dissolve sugar. Scald mixture by heating until small bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan.
Meanwhile, separate eggs and place yolks in medium bowl, reserving whites for another use. Beat yolks with a whisk until lightened, about 1 minute.
Once milk mixture has heated, slowly add half to the egg yolks, whisking continuously. This will “temper” the yolks so the upcoming heat of the stove will not curdle them. Return milk and egg mixture to the saucepan. Over medium heat cook, stirring very frequently, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon or reaches 170 degrees F.
Remove from heat and strain into clean bowl. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Set over ice bath, stirring occasionally to promote even cooling. Place mixture in refrigerator to chill completely. This may be completed up to 24 hours ahead. This will yield about 3 ½ cups of gelato base.
Transfer mixture to gelato maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Make the whipped cream topping:
Combine ingredients and beat until cream mounds softly. Set aside.
Assemble:
Pour churned gelato into cooled crust. Run a small palette or butter knife through the gelato to break up any air pockets. Smooth top. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in freezer 24 hours.
Remove from freezer. Dampen 2 kitchen towels with hot water. Wring well and briefly press towels against sides of springform. (If you use a non-stick pan you can skip this step.) Loosen and remove sides of springform. Place pie on serving plate and spread whipped cream over top, leaving a 1 inch border around the outer edge. Garnish with lemon slices and serve.
Food nerd notes:
I recently purchased non-stick springform pans. Several companies make them – Calphalon, Nordicware and others. They are slightly heavier and a good deal more sturdy than the standard aluminum pans, and the non-stick surface makes removing the cake or other food item a no-hassle procedure. The pans run about $14.00 and are widely available. Buy one.
How to make an ice water bath:
You will need 2 bowls, one larger than the other. I suggest stainless steel as it transfers heat more efficiently than glass. Fill the larger bowl with ice water to the 1/3 level. Set the second bowl aside. To use the bath, pour the liquid to be cooled into the smaller bowl and place it in the ice water, taking care that no water flows into the bowl. Stir occasionally until mixture has cooled. Remove bowl from ice water bath, dry the bottom and proceed with recipe.
To freeze Meyer lemon juice:
Scrub lemons. Juice and strain. Pour juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop cubes out, and place in freezer bags. Expel air and close tightly. Label and date. Freeze up to 6 months.
Note: You can click on any picture for a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Tuesday, March 12th 2013 at 10:51 pm |
It looks delicious and refreshing! Perfect for the coming season! Your pics are always FAB! BRAVA Adri! Paola
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 7:32 am |
Thanks, Paola-this one is, I think, my farewell to winter citrus! I’ll miss those Meyer lemons and blood oranges!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 12:40 am |
E’ semplicemente un capolavoro!! Complimenti, amo molto il limone e questa torta è fenomenale!! <3 TVB!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 7:36 am |
Ciao grazie Ely. Anch’io adoro il limone. Questa torta è saporito e leggero – devi provalra!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 2:59 am |
Dear Adri, this looks very delicious. Gelato is one of my favourite treat during the long hot Italian summers and I miss it. I also freeze good lemon/orange zest and juice for the spring/summer time. I agree it is very important to have a good non-stick spring form pan…I keep on lining my non stick pan with baking paper!!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 7:41 am |
Hi Rita,
My husband and I devoured this! Good thinking to freeze the juice. I love to have it on hand. This would be perfect in the summer, even with regular lemons such as Eureka or Lisbon.
I have used the older style aluminum springform pans for as long as I can remember and I often struggled with them. But the non-stick ones are a revelation. Try one!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 11:59 am |
Oh Adri – This is a masterpiece from all aspects — the flavors, the photography, the styling. As soon as I saw that cream on top I knew there was something out of the ordinary here – and mascarpone it is! I would love to make this but will need to rush and get some of those lemons while they’re still in the market. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe.
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 12:49 pm |
Thanks, Linda! The mascarpone is something else. It does not take much to stabilize the whipped cream – although you can certainly use more than I did. The whipped cream holds up beautifully – and you can freeze it, as you would have to do with this dessert if you did not finish it all at once. It works beautifully. For something that you return to the refrigerator it also is great. Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 1:31 pm |
Stupenda!!!
Wednesday, March 13th 2013 at 8:02 pm |
Grazie!
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 6:34 am |
splendido questo dolce, grazie della ricetta!!!!!
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 6:57 am |
Grazie, Simona! Buona “Pi Day!”
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 7:29 am |
I just love how this pie looks simple (you know I mean not in the “easy” sense, but pure and real) and over-the-top decadent at the same time. What an inspired way to use your Meyer lemon bounty! I would savor a slice until it melted into a creamy puddle.
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 8:30 am |
HI Karen,
That is very high praise coming from you. Thank you. It really is good, and I bet it would be really great with Eureka or Lisbon lemons too. The flavor might be brighter, and maybe it would need more sugar, but I can see me trotting this baby out in the summer.
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 7:52 am |
oh my this looks delicious. like a sunny day in a pie.
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 8:32 am |
Hi Gillian,
It is a sunny sort of an affair – great description! Thanks for visiting!
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 1:10 pm |
wow wow che meraviglia!!!! davvero stupendo!
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 3:14 pm |
Grazie! Adoro i “Gelato Pies.”
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 2:45 pm |
Una vera delizia per tutti, chi rinuncerebbe a tanta bontà? Un abbraccio…
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 3:15 pm |
Grazie Chiara!
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 3:55 pm |
As the saying goes, ” a picture is worth a thousand words!” The second I saw this I was sold! Just beautiful Adri!
Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 9:13 pm |
Thanks, Marie! What kind words!
Saturday, March 16th 2013 at 10:20 am |
Did you know that Einstein was born on Pi Day… in 1879. This can be no coincidence. The constant of Pi and the constant of the speed of light… my my… I wonder if he had a birthday pie instead of a birthday cake?
Saturday, March 16th 2013 at 10:33 am |
Thanks Foodie!!
I did not know, but this is the sort of info I love. As for his celebratory treat, I don’t know what was on the menu, but a pie sounds great to me.
Wednesday, March 27th 2013 at 7:44 am |
Lemon is one of my all-time favorite flavors, so this pie looks SO wonderful to me. I’d totally go for a big slice right now, even though it’s only 9:30 AM. =)
Wednesday, March 27th 2013 at 8:47 am |
Hi Amy,
I am glad it caught your eye. I think this will be my go to desert for summer BBQ’s. I froze some Meyer lemon juice to use, but the pie will be just as good, if perhaps a bit brighter in flavor, with standard Eureka or Lisbon lemons. Thanks for stopping by!