For our #www family meal this last week we were in North Carolina. What came up when I googled it was this pie. I had heard of this pie and initially thought I might have made it before, why else would the name sound so familiar. So I looked on my Instagram, where I post all of our meals. Nothing came up, weird. Why would I know this pie? I’ve been to NC a few times, my mother lived there for a spell. I don’t recall her mentioning it or me seeing it on a menu.
I mentioned it to my daughter and she knew immediately where I heard about it. We watch have a few shows that we watch together and this pie came up on Crime Scene Kitchen. We really enjoy the show and try to figure out what the contestants are supposed to make by the clues they find. This particular pie is distinct by the saltine crust. Only one of the teams figured it out. The others had never heard of it before. Quite possibly because it was created in NC. Accordning to Google. Atlantic Beach Pie is a famous North Carolina citrus dessert created in 2011 by Chef Bill Smith at the restaurant Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill.
I made it and it was a huge hit with the family. I only wish my mother-in-law was still with us, lemon anything was her favorite.
Atlantic Beach Pie
Equipment
- 1 9 inch pie plate
Ingredients
Crust
- 52 Saltine crackers
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Filing
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice approx. 3 lemons
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Pre-heat oven to 350℉. set rack to the middle of the oven. in a medium bowl crush the crackers into uneven coarse crumbs by hand. Add the butter and sugar. Continue using your hands to mix until the crumbs are moistened, breaking up any remaining larger pieces.
- Transfer crumbs to a 9-inch pie plate and spread into an even layer. Using a flat bottomed measuring cup or drinking glass. Press crumbs into the plate and up the sides of the plate to create an even layer of crust across the bottom and sides. Place pie plate onto a sheet pan and then bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.
Filing
- In a medium bowl, whisk the condensed milk, cream , eggs and lemon zest until fully combined. Whisk in the lemon juice until fully incorporated. Pour the filing into the warm crust. Place back into the oven and bake for 17-19 minutes, just until the edges are set and the center of the pie is still a bit jiggly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. about an hour. Cover and refrigerate the pie, until fully chilled, at least 4 hours.
Topping
- in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk cream, sugar and vanilla on low speed until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is foamy, about a minute or so. Increase the speed to a medium-high an whip until stiff peaks form. about 3 minutes. Spread whipped cream evenly over the top of the pie.