Lemon Icebox Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Break graham crackers in half, and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until graham crackers have turned to fine crumbs, 7-10 pulses. (Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor and don’t want one, though I tremendously recommend one, just place graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.) Add sugar, salt, and melted butter into the crumbs, and pulse until incorporated. Stir with a spoon or a spatula to get the last bits incorporated. Press into a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.

2. For the filling, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and the lemon juice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the lemon zest until the mixture is pale, 30 to 60 seconds. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the sweetened condensed milk/lemon juice mixture.

3. Place the springf orm pan onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour lemon filling into the graham cracker crust. Carefully transfer the baking sheet into the oven, and bake until the center jiggles slightly, 13-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 1 hour.

4. To make the whipped cream, place heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the cream with the whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form (this can also be done with a hand mixer, or, if you’re especially strong, your hand and a whisk). Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until medium peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream, smooth it over with an offset spatula or a knife, and top with lemon wedges. (I cut the lemon in 8, then placed the 8 pieces around the edge of the pie). Freeze for at least 6 hours.

5. To serve, remove the ring around the spring form pan, and to cut clean slices of the pie. Dip your knife into very hot water and dry with a paper towel or regular towel, and repeat after cutting every slice. Enjoy!