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Pale lemon icebox pie in a graham crust with one chilled slice.
Dessert40m8 servings

Lemon Icebox Pie

Loretta's lemon pie card is bright with exclamation points and vague about nearly everything else. It says juice enough to set, which is not a measurement I wanted to defend to a bowl of cream cheese. This version uses three-quarters of a cup: tart enough to balance condensed milk and reliable after a full chill. I chose an egg-free filling because several older icebox versions rely on raw yolks or whites; the cream-cheese and whipped-cream structure keeps the cool, soft slice without that risk. It is still the sort of pie that makes a hot kitchen feel briefly negotiable.

Loretta's card

LEMON ICE BOX PIE! graham crust 1 cream cheese 1 Eagle milk lemon juice enough to set rind + vanilla fold in whipped cream overnight — KEEP COLD!

Front notes: The front is in Loretta's blue ballpoint. Both exclamation points are original.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs (150 g)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (85 g)
  • 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (226 g)
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (396 g)
  • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (180 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine salt
  • 1 cup cold heavy cream (240 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (15 g)

Steps

  1. 1Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Press mixed crust ingredients into a 9-inch pie plate and bake 9–11 minutes; cool completely.
  2. 2Beat cream cheese smooth; gradually beat in condensed milk, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt.
  3. 3Whip cream with confectioners' sugar to medium peaks and fold gently into lemon mixture.
  4. 4Fill cooled crust, cover, and chill at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
  5. 5Cut with a thin hot dry knife.

I am still working through the box.

I cook another one of Loretta’s cards most Fridays and write down whatever comes with it — the corrections, the misread words, the notes on the back.

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