Simple Citrus Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice., Bake until bottom is lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in water and orange juice. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer (mixture will be thick). Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon juice, butter, and lemon and orange zests., For meringue, in a large bowl, beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form., Transfer hot filling to crust. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edge of crust; swirl top with the back of a spoon., Bake until meringue is golden brown, 13-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Chill 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• For Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely chop nuts in processor. Add ground cookies, sugar and butter and blend in using on/off turns until moist crumbs form. Press mixture firmly onto bottom and sides of 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie dish. Bake crust until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool.
• For Filling:
• Boil grapefruit juice and 1/4 cup sugar in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over lime juice and let stand 10 minutes. Add gelatin mixture, white chocolate and 1/4 cup cream to grapefruit mixture and whisk over low heat until white chocolate and gelatin melt and mixture is smooth. Pour into large bowl. Refrigerate until cool but not set, whisking occasionally and scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, about 2 hours.
• Beat cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 15 rosettes of cream around edge of pie. Place 1 lime slice rounded side up between each rosette. Fill center with chocolate curls if desired. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)

Steps:

• For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Toast until fragrant, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool slightly, then finely chop. In a large bowl (or a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), whisk together butter, egg yolk, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and walnuts to combine, then knead mixture with your hands a few times to form a soft, pliable dough.
• Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a standard 9-inch pie dish. Prick at 1-inch intervals with the tines of a fork; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
• Bake crust 15 minutes; if it's puffing in places, flatten it with the bottom of a dry measuring cup. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and set, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack.
• For the Filling: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt to combine. Whisk in juice, 1/3 cup water, and egg yolks until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Boil 30 seconds; remove from heat. Stir in orange zest, lemon zest and juice, and butter until smooth. Immediately pour into baked crust; smooth top. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold and set firmly, at least 4 hours or, loosely covered (once cold), up to 1 day. Cut into wedges and serve cold, with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter using a pastry cutter until a ball forms. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding mix and milk for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set, then top with whipped topping.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Pour into pastry shell. In a bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry peaks are formed. Gradually beat in sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over pie, sealing edges to pastry. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden. Cool. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Prick pie shell with a fork and bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.
• In a medium mixing bowl blend egg yolks and condensed milk. Stir in lemon juice. Heat this mixture in a double boiler, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens. Pour into piecrust and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a disk of dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Starting at one end, gently roll up the dough onto the rolling pin. Unfurl the dough over a 9-inch pie plate, preferably ceramic, and press it in lightly, making sure it's lining the plate.
• Trim so that there's about ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edge of the pie plate. (If the dough feels warm, refrigerate it for 15 minutes.) Tuck the excess dough under itself so it is flush with the edge of the pie plate; leave the pie like this for a straight-edge finish, or crimp as desired. Dock the base and sides all over with a fork and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.
• Place a rack on the bottom shelf of the oven, and place a baking stone, if you have one, on the rack. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Use a small brush to evenly paint egg wash on the edge of the crust. Cut a square of parchment paper and use it to line the crust. Fill with pie weights (or dried beans) up to the top edge. Place the plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil.
• Transfer the baking sheet to the oven, placing it directly on the baking stone if using. Bake crust until the outer edge is just starting to turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights, and continue to bake until the base appears set, 2 to 4 minutes more. If the dough puffs up anywhere, you can puncture it with a fork. Cool the crust completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: Whisk the sugar, flour, ginger and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Add the milk, cream, extracts and zest and whisk well to combine. Transfer the pie plate to the prepared baking sheet. Pour the custard into the crust.
• Transfer the baking sheet back to the oven, placing it directly on the baking stone if using. Bake until the crust is evenly golden brown and the custard appears set around the outer edge, 40 to 45 minutes; the center of the pie may still be jiggly, like pumpkin pie or cheesecake, but it will firm up as it cools. Let cool completely at room temperature on a rack.
• Make the topping: Whip the cream and confectioners' sugar to medium peaks. Scoop on top of the pie and spread in an even layer. Chill the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Just before serving, peel each piece of fruit using a vegetable peeler. (Peeling in a spiral fashion around the fruit can help you get longer pieces of zest.) Use a sharp paring knife to trim away the rough edges, and then cut thin strips from the trimmed zest.
• Arrange the zest on top of the whipped cream, arranging the colors randomly and overlapping some pieces. The pie is best the day it is made; store leftovers in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.