Lemon Cream Pie With Honey and Ginger

Updated Nov. 16, 2023

Lemon Cream Pie With Honey and Ginger
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Laurie Ellen Pellicano.
Total Time
1 hour 40 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ setting
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes, plus at least 4 hours' setting
Rating
4(378)
Comments
Read comments

A citrusy cousin of coconut cream and chocolate cream pies, this pie is filled with a lemon pudding that’s tart like curd but is also light, smooth and creamy at the same time. Infusing the filling with fresh ginger gives it a more autumnal flavor, but omit it you prefer. For the crust, make sure to use only very thin, very crisp, wafer-style gingersnaps, otherwise it will likely slump as it bakes. If you can’t find those, graham crackers work just as well. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)

Featured in: These Five Thanksgiving Pies Are a Dessert Lover’s Dream

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Crust

    • 6ounces/170 grams wafer-style gingersnaps or graham crackers
    • 4tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
    • 2tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1large egg yolk
    • Pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

    For the Filling

    • ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
    • 1(3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
    • Zest of 2 lemons, removed in strips with a vegetable peeler
    • Generous pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • ¼cup/28 grams cornstarch
    • 6large egg yolks
    • 1⅔cups/400 milliliters heavy cream
    • ¼cup/80 milliliters honey
    • cup/157 milliliters fresh lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons)
    • 2teaspoons vanilla extract

    For the Topping

    • 1small lemon, sliced into 7 or 8 very thin rounds, ends discarded and seeds removed
    • Honey, for drizzling
    • ¾cup/180 milliliters heavy cream, chilled
    • ½cup/120 grams sour cream or crème fraîche, chilled
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

627 calories; 41 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 174 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse the cookies until you have fine crumbs (don’t overprocess or the crust mixture will be too wet). Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl, then add the butter, sugar, yolk and salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then rub the mixture between your hands until it looks and feels like wet sand.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer just shy of half the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate, and push it outward to create an even ring along the perimeter. Use a straight-sided 1 cup dry measure to press the mixture firmly all the way up the sides. Scatter the remaining crumb mixture across the bottom of the pan and use the bottom of the cup to flatten into an even layer with no bare spots. Place pan on a baking sheet, and bake until crust is fragrant and the outer edge darkens in color, 13 to 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.

  4. Step 4

    Make the filling: Place a mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine the sugar, ginger, lemon zest and salt in a medium saucepan and work the mixture with your fingertips, bending and bruising the ginger and zest, until it resembles wet sand. Add the cornstarch and whisk to combine. Add the yolks and whisk to break them up, then whisk the mixture more vigorously, making sure there’s no unincorporated sugar at the sides. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 30 seconds, then whisk in the heavy cream, followed by the honey and the lemon juice. Make sure to work the whisk along the bottom of the pan to dissolve all of the sugar mixture, then set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture holds whisk marks and large bubbles form beneath the surface when you stop whisking for a few seconds, about 3 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from heat. Pour mixture into the strainer set over the bowl and use a spatula to press the pudding through, removing the solids.

  5. Step 5

    Whisk the vanilla into the still-hot pudding, then pour the pudding into the cooled crust and smooth the surface (discard solids). Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and transfer the pie to the refrigerator. Chill until cold and set, at least 4 hours.

  6. Step 6

    Prepare the toppings: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange lemon slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Drizzle a little bit of honey over each slice, then use your finger to rub the honey evenly across each slice. Bake slices until golden brown and caramelized in spots, 25 minutes. Set the baking sheet aside and let the slices cool completely. In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream and sour cream, and whisk, starting slowly and increasing intensity as the mixture thickens, until you have a light, voluminous whipped cream that forms medium peaks.

  7. Step 7

    Remove the pie from the refrigerator and uncover. Scrape the whipped cream onto the surface and spread in an even layer. Arrange the lemon slices over top, then drizzle the surface with more honey.

Tip
  • The tart will keep for several days in the refrigerator but is best served within 24 hours while the crust is still crisp. (It will soften over time.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
378 user ratings
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Comments

It would be great to have a measurement for ginger AFTER it's been grated-- tablespoons, ounces or grams, for example.

I used Anna’s Swedish Ginger Thins and they worked great for the crust. I also candied the lemon peels in the oven after taking out the crust and let them cook while I prepped the filling. The timing made much more sense than doing it at the end like the recipe suggests.

Making the filling I decided to grate in the ginger and lemon zest and it came out so delicious. I also did a meringue topping rather than cream and it was great.

I just wanted to check that it is balanced without sugar in the topping? I know there is honey drizzled on top but wouldn’t it be a little blah with cream and sour cream on top without any sugar in it?

Guests LOVED it. Based on other comments, we doubled the amount of fresh ginger, and the balance was just right.

Our guests loved this. We doubled the amount of ginger and the balance was perfect. Also, I used about half of the cream topping for the pie. It was helpful because it cut the sweetness a little bit. We served limoncello with it – I highly recommend that.

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