Circle B Kitchen
This is a deliciously lemon version of the Circle B Kitchen cheesepie in which we swap out the graham crackers in the crust for some spicy little gingersnaps. Feel free to use store-bought lemon curd if you like, but we've also provided a recipe for our favorite homemade (you will want to make extra, it's so good). Also, you will need to plan ahead a little to make this as it thickens and gets better the longer you refrigerate it. Give it at least 5 hours in the fridge before serving. And please use a high quality cream cheese (Philadelphia is fine). Some store brand cream cheeses include additives that do not cook up well, i.e., lumps, not creamy. And make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before using it. You will need 2-3 lemons for the pie.
P.S. If using a store-bought lemon curd that seems a little loose or runny, just beat in 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch into the pie mixture to make sure that the pie firms up properly.
Gingersnap Crust:
1 ½ cups ground gingersnaps (about 40 cookies)
1/4 cup butter
¼ cup sugar
For the Pie:
12 oz good quality cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup lemon curd
1 tsp vanilla
For the topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup lemon curd (store-bought or homemade - see below)
zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Curd:
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice (I sometimes add another ¼ cup for extra lemony-ness)
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Make the Crust:
Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the gingersnaps in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until ground. Add the sugar and continue pulsing until combined.
Melt butter (it’s best if it’s really really soft and not all the way melted) and mix with sugar and crumbs (I do this in the pie plate or a separate bowl). Press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the pie:
Beat eggs and then add the remaining pie ingredients. Beat till smooth and pour into gingersnap crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool 5 min.
Make the topping:
Beat sour cream with the lemon curd and then spread on top of the pie. Bake 10 more minutes. Let cool and sprinkle the top with the reserved lemon zest. Refrigerate at least 5 hours before serving.
Homemade Lemon Curd:
In a heavy, medium saucepan whisk the eggs and egg yolks until well blended and then add the sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is fairly thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Stir in the cold butter pieces and once the butter has melted, add the grated zest and stir to combine.
You won't need all of the curd for this recipe so you can transfer the leftover curd to a tightly covered storage container and refrigerate it (it will last for 2-3 weeks) or you can freeze it for much longer.