With Louisville’s temperatures close to 90 degrees over Memorial Day weekend, we resurrected our $10 kiddie pool from the basement to the backyard in lieu of public pools being closed because of COVID-19. Hot dogs were on the grill, watermelon juice was dripping down our chins, and I was melting like a popsicle on the Fourth of July. Fortunately I had a lemon ice box pie waiting for us in the freezer. Prior to that weekend, I had never had lemon ice box pie. Now I’m not sure I can survive another summer without it.

I was seeking a cool, refreshing dessert for the holiday when I discovered David Guas’ recipe for lemon ice box pie in Garden & Gun as well as Food and Wine magazines. Guas’ version is an adaptation of the dessert served at Clancy’s restaurant in New Orleans. It’s simple in both ingredients and preparation. But don’t think for a second that simple translates to boring. All of that fresh squeezed lemon juice will make your mouth pucker and your heart sing. 

You’ll want to make the pie early in the morning or the night before, so you give it enough time to freeze before serving. I also bought a 9” springform pan as David Guas’ noted. There are plenty of versions that use a regular pie plate or pre-made pie shell. But my favorite part of using the springform pan was that moment of anticipation as you carefully remove the outside rim and unveil that beautiful ring of graham cracker crust. Ta-dah!

My personal preference is to omit the whipped cream dollop on top, but you can certainly add it to suit your own taste. Either way, just sit back and relish the compliments headed your way because this pie is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It’s been a week since I’ve made our lemon ice box pie, and my kids are still talking about how good it was. As my five year old exclaimed: “It’s not any kind of good. It’s super good!”

As summer approaches and temperatures rise, we should all keep a lemon ice box pie in our freezer as a best practice to beat the heat. I can’t say I’ll feel much like throwing on my swimsuit after a slice (or three), so thank God for cover-ups.  

Lemon Ice Box Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
14 whole graham crackers, broken
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice, plus 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
8 large egg yolks

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°. 

Preparing the crust: Pulse the graham crackers, sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground (but not powdery). I honestly don’t mind if there are still some small size chunks of graham cracker in there.

Add the butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened. 

Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, and press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and two-thirds up the side. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet.

Preparing the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the condensed milk with the lemon juice. In another bowl, beat the lemon zest with the egg yolks until pale by using a handheld mixer. Beat in the condensed milk mixture until smooth. Pour the filling into the crust.

Bake: Bake the pie for 25-30 minutes, until the center jiggles slightly and the edges are set. Put the pan on a rack and let cool for 1 hour. 

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours.

To Serve: Take a warm, damp kitchen towel and wrap it around the outer rim of the pan. Remove the ring. It helps to run your knife under hot water before slicing the pie. Transfer slices to plates and serve.