Lemon Cream Cheese Pie

So this is another recipe I developed myself, loosely inspired by a layered lemon pudding dessert my mom used to make. You can use any crust recipe you like, but I suggest the nut crust. If you are in the tragic circumstances of possessing a nut allergy, pretzel crust works well, too. Any fresh lemon curd will work, but this microwave version is easy and fast.

Crust:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Lemon Curd

*Note: You can make this ahead of time, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge until time to use.

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons worth)
• zest of 3 lemons, finely zested
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• pinch of salt (omit if you use salted butter)

Filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into half-inch cubes
• 2 cups cream
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (I like it lighter, but some like it sweeter)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Process flour and walnuts in a food processor. Mix in melted butter, and press into a 9-inch pie pan. (I prefer Corelle glass pans.) Bake for 15 minutes, cool to room temperature.
2. In a medium microwavable bowl, blend eggs and sugar until sugar is mostly dissolved and mixture is smooth. Add lemon juice, zest, butter, and salt. Make sure the butter is cooled to room temperature, or the eggs will curdle. Blend and microwave in 1-minute increments until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Cool to room temperature.
3. Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla at low speed until bubbles start to appear (about 1-2 minutes,) then increase to high speed and whip until very stiff peaks form. Slowly add the cream cheese, one cube at a time, until fully incorporated. Reserve about 3/4 cups of lemon curd. Slowly mix the rest into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
4. Spoon into the cooled crust, smoothing down the top. Spoon reserved lemon curd over the top of the pie and cool in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. Top with whipped cream, if desired, and serve.