If you hadn’t already heard, sour cream is not just a savory food ingredient. We repeat: not just a savory food ingredient. As we’ve seen with many a cake, sour cream ensures your confection is perfectly moist and never dry, and in some cases, it’s the star of the show and brings a light, airy tang that balances out the other flavors that are in the mix. The latter example, of letting the sour cream complement the other ingredients, is what’s going on in this lemon sour cream pie; the lemon and sour cream get equal billing in the name, so you know it’s going to be good.
INGREDIENTS
1 frozen pie crust, baked according to package directions
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup freshly-squeezed meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup sour cream
Frozen whipped topping or whipped cream, garnish, optional
PREPARATION
Combine heavy cream, egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until thickened. 6-8 minutes. (Just be sure mixture isn’t too hot or it will curdle.)
Remove mixture from heat and stir in cubed butter, lemon extract and vanilla extract, if using, then stir in powdered sugar.
Whisk in sour cream, stirring until mixture is totally smooth, then pour mixture into prepared pie pan.
Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or until set, then top with whipped cream, slice, serve and enjoy.