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March 14 is Pi Day<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n Crust<\/em> Meyer Lemon Gelato<\/em> Whipped Cream Topping<\/em> Thinly sliced lemon twists to garnish<\/p>\n Make the crust<\/em>: Press onto bottom and \u00bd 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.<\/p>\n Make the Meyer Lemon Gelato<\/em>: 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.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, separate eggs and place yolks in medium bowl, reserving whites for another use. Beat yolks with a whisk until lightened, about 1 minute.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u00bd cups of gelato base.<\/p>\n Transfer mixture to gelato maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.<\/p>\n Make the whipped cream topping<\/em>: Assemble<\/em>: 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.<\/p>\n Food nerd notes<\/em>: How to make an ice water bath<\/em>:
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<\/p>\nMeyer Lemon Gelato Pie<\/em><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\nmakes 1 nine inch pie<\/h6>\n
\n1 1\/2 cups ground honey graham crackers (about 18)
\n3 tablespoons granulated sugar
\n1\/4 cup unsalted butter<\/p>\n
\n2 cups whole milk
\n1 cup heavy cream
\n1\/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
\n5 large egg yolks
\n1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
\n1\/3 cup Meyer lemon juice<\/p>\n
\n1 cup heavy cream
\n1 tablespoon Mascarpone
\n1 tablespoon granulated sugar<\/p>\n
\nPreheat 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 \u00bd 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.<\/p>\n
\nPrepare an ice water bath (see Food Nerd Notes below.) Scrub and dry lemons. Zest and juice lemons. Set aside.<\/p>\n
\nCombine ingredients and beat until cream mounds softly. Set aside.<\/p>\n
\nPour 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.<\/p>\n
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\nI recently purchased non-stick springform pans. Several companies make them – Calphalon<\/a>, Nordicware<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n
\nYou 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.<\/p>\n