Brûléed Lemon Chess Pie
This brûléed lemon chess pie is like a lemon bar in pie form! The creamy tart lemon filling contrasted with the buttery pie crust and burnt sugar topping is truly irresistible.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 140 g (10 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cold
- 24 g (2 tablespoon) vodka, optional
- 1 cup ice water
For the lemon chess filling:
- 300 g (1 ½ cups) granulated sugar
- Zest from 6 lemons
- 25 g (3 tablespoon) cornmeal
- 12 g (1 ½ tablespoon) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g (1 cup) lemon juice
- 56 g (4 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
- 5 eggs, room temp
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- In a medium bowl combine the flour and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss in the flour.
- Using your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until quarter sized pieces are left.
- Add the vodka (optional) and a small amount of water, then toss with your hands to combine. Continue adding very small amounts of water until the dough can hold together, but is not overly wet.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then chill for one hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, fold in half, then again into quarters. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for another 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out again into a rough rectangle and repeat the folding process. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
- Roll out the pie dough into a rough circle about ⅛″ in thickness.
- Carefully place the dough in the pie pan, pressing up against the sides. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Take the pie crust out, cut off the excess dough, and crimp the edges as desired. Dock the bottom and sides of the crust all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for another 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper over the pie crust and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or dry rice all the way up to the crimp.
- Place the pie pan on the hot baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes.
- Take the pan out, take all of the pie weights out, then brush the pie crust with an egg wash all over, except for the crimp.
- Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until barely golden. Allow the pie crust to cool completely before adding the pie filling.
For the lemon chess filling:
- Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingers until it resembles wet sand and smells aromatic.
- Whisk in the cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, butter, and eggs until fully combined.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust, then place on a baking sheet. Wrap aluminum foil around the crimp to prevent it from getting too dark. Bake the pie for 35-45 minutes until set and slightly puffed up.
- Allow the pie to cool for at least 2 hours.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the pie with granulated sugar and use a kitchen torch to brûlée it.
Notes
- Add vodka to the pie dough. If you have vodka on hand, you can add a few tablespoons to the pie dough before the water. You'll end up adding less water, so still pay close attention to the hydration level. Vodka does not develop the gluten as much, which makes it perfect for hydrating pie dough and creating a super tender pie crust!
- Keep the pie dough cold. The most important thing with making pie crust is to always keep the dough cold at all steps. So use ice cold water and cold butter, and any time you touch the dough you should put it back in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- Bake the pie on a hot baking sheet on the lowest rack in the oven. No one likes a soggy pie bottom! To achieve a beautifully golden, crisp bottom pie crust preheat the oven with a baking sheet on the bottom rack. When it's time to bake the pie, place the pie dish directly on top of the hot baking sheet!
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1piece | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 335mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 762IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg
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