Jumping on the Fixer Upper Bandwagon

I have to admit, I do look forward to Sunday afternoons spent folding laundry and watching Fixer Upper on HGTV.  I love that Chip and Joanna Gaines take old houses and restore their long-lost charm, and also make them look sophisticated and elegant at the same time.  While my personal style is not 100% in line with Joanna’s (you’ll never see an oversized clock on any of my walls) I really respect what she does and very much appreciate her aesthetic and her taste.

So imagine my surprise and delight when I was at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago and came across Magnolia Journal – THEY HAVE THEIR OWN MAGAZINE!  Of course I bought it and dove right it to see what they had come up with.  I have to say it is a nice little magazine, it’s down to earth and inspirational both from a decorating and personal well-being point of view.  Anyway I liked it enough to subscribe and, best of all, to try one of Joanna’s own personal recipes – Jo’s Favorite Lemon Pie.

The Pie-Tasting Jury is in, and Joanna Gaines’ Favorite Lemon Pie Verdict is…

The headline here is that everyone that tasted Jo’s Favorite Lemon Pie loved it, and it came out looking Instaperfect so definitely worth adding to the recipe box.  From a baker’s point of view it was easy to make and didn’t include any ingredients you couldn’t easily find at the grocery story.  Plus extra points to Jo for specifying the number of squares in the graham cracker crust – a lot of recipes don’t do this and leave you measuring out the crushed graham crackers to make sure have the right amount.  This is definitely a southern dessert, a bit heavy and a bit sweet, but a crowd-pleaser you would do well to take to any summer gathering.  So gather up your ingredients and get your camera ready, this is one you’ll be proud to post!

THE RECIPE

Ingredients

Non-stick spray for baking

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (21 squares)

1/3 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

3 cups sweetened consensed milk

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup lemon juice

Dash salt

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Lemon slices, for garnish

Lemon zest, for garnish

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 305 degrees F.  Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick spray.  In a bowl combine crushed graham crackers and 1/3 cup sugar.  Stir in melted butter, mix well.  Press cracker mixture into prepared pie plate.  Bake 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in another bowl combined milk, egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt.  Beat on medium speed 4 minutes.  Pour mixture into baked pie crust.  Bake 10 minutes.  Cool pie on counter for 30 minutes.  Place in refrigerator at least 1 our or until set.
3. In a bowl combined whipping cream, the 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla.  Beat on high speed until fluffy. Spread on cooled pie.  Garnish with fresh lemon slices, sprinkle of lemon zest, and mint sprigs.

Tell us what you think!

Please comment below if you try the pie and let us know how it goes!  And find all of Brooklyn to the Catskills‘ recipes in the Food section of our website, we’d love to hear what you think about those too!