Lemon Cream Cheese Pie

Total Time: 1 hr 38 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 38 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch allspice
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted (3/4 stick)
• 1 lemon, rind of
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup cream-style cottage cheese or 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• chopped green pistachio nut, for garnish

Recipe

• 1 crust: mix together the crust ingredients; turn the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate; using your fingertips, distribute the mixture evenly and loosely over the sides first and then the bottom.
• 2 then press the crust firmly and evenly on the sides, pushing it up from the bottom a bit to form a rim slightly (barely) higher than the edge of the pie plate.
• 3 after pressing the sides and top edge firmly, press the remaining crumbs evenly and firmly over the bottom; bake for 8 minutes at 375°, then cool to room temperature.
• 4 filling: place oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350°.
• 5 in a small bowl, mix rind and juice; set aside.
• 6 in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, process cottage cheese or ricotta cheese until it is as smooth as honey (it takes a full minute in a processor).
• 7 in the small bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until it is perfectly smooth.
• 8 add the smooth cottage cheese and beat to mix.
• 9 then add the sugar, vanilla, and the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until smooth after each addition.
• 10 when the filling is perfectly smooth, remove the bowl from the mixer; stir in the lemon rind and juice, and pour filling into prepared crust.
• 11 bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and cool completely.
• 12 topping: in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip the whipping cream until it holds a firm shape when the beaters are raised.
• 13 in another bowl, stir the sour cream until it is soft and smooth; stir in the sugar.
• 14 then gently fold in the sour cream and whipped cream together.
• 15 just pile the topping loosely on top of the pie, letting some of the filling show around the edges.
• 16 refrigerate for at least a few hours.