One of the things that I make sure to have on each trip back to the States is a slice, or two (or as many as I can get) of lemon meringue pie and for some reason, this trip, I managed to get two different WHOLE PIES to share with family after dinner yet they were complete and utter failures as far as pies go.
If you can believe it, they melted. In the time it took to set it on the counter, take dessert orders, slice and serve this pie to those who requested it, the slices all melted into oblivion. POOF!
Each slice turned into a gloopy, yellow mess with a crust and some whipped cream sliding off the surface. Not terribly inspiring and certainly not enough to quench my craving for lemon meringue pie. So one of the last nights that we bought dessert out for the family, we went with a sour cream lemon pie and it was the first of its kind that I had ever eaten.
And it blew my socks off!
Literally.
Would I lie to you about a thing like that?
sorry, this photo has terrible lighting...
All I knew is that as soon as I got home, I would have to make this for myself and what a great alternative to lemon meringue pie??! This is much easier to assemble and after a short rest in the fridge was ready for devouring!
I didn’t already have a recipe, so I cross-referenced a few recipes and combined the best techniques from each (it’s shocking how many recipes lead you in the wrong direction or have you making lemon curd in the oddest of ways with the weirdest ingredients… or pie crust for that matter) and made my version of Luscious Sour Cream Lemon Pie!
we each had a rather large slice after dinner... !
**Confession: I was running out of time just before making dinner so I used a frozen, ready-to-bake Pillsbury pie crust and threw it in the oven… next time I will certainly make my own pie crust, it would add that special touch… **
the "culprit" or "inferior" pie crust... 
with pretty, fluted edges!
Ingredients:
- one 9-in pie crust
- 1 C sugar
- 3 – 1/2 TBS corn starch
- 1 TBS lemon zest
- 1/2 C lemon juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 C milk
- 1/4 C butter, softened
- 1 C sour cream
First, pat the pie crust into a pie tin and flute the edges (if you like), prick the sides and bottom of the crust with a fork. Line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice, yolks & milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about ten minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately and stir in the butter. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Then let stand and cool for a few minutes (I left mine cooling for about 15 minutes).
Once the mixture is cooler, stir in the sour cream until completely combined. Pour the filling into the pie shell and refrigerate until completely cold and set, about four hours.
