Atlantic Beach pie
Lemon curd pie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atlantic Beach pie is a type of lemon curd pie which uses a saltine crust and whipped cream topping sprinkled with salt.[1][2]
| |
| Type | Pie |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | North Carolina |
| Created by | Bill Smith |
| Invented | 2011 |
Development
The recipe was developed by Bill Smith, then chef at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, restaurant Crook's Corner, who had as a child in the 1950s and 1960s vacationed in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, where local lore held that only citrus-based desserts could be safely eaten after eating seafood.[1][3] When asked to develop a dessert for a Southern Foodways Alliance event in 2011, he developed a pie inspired by the lemon meringue pies typically offered in area seafood restaurants.[1][4] Unlike lemon meringue pies, which typically use a shortcrust pastry base and are topped with meringue, Smith's recipe calls for a saltine cracker crust and a whipped cream topping and is garnished with finishing salt.[1]
Origin of the name
Before being added to the Crook's Corner menu, the pie needed a name. According to Bill Smith himself, he "sort of offhandedly" named the dessert after the nearby beach town of Atlantic Beach.[3]
Preparation and ingredients
The pie uses a crust containing saltines, butter, and sugar and a curd containing lemons or limes, condensed milk, and egg yolks.[1][5] The curd is topped with a sweetened whipped cream and then finishing salt and/or lemon zest.[1] The pie is notable for the speed and ease with which it can be made.[6]
Saltines are crumbled
Butter is worked in
Saltines and butter are pressed into a pie pan
The crust is baked and allowed to cool
Egg yolks are added to condensed milk and lemon juice
Mixture is whipped into a custard
Custard is poured into crust and baked
Baked custard in crust
Finished pie, topped with whipped cream
Reception
Southern Living called the pie "the best dish of summer".[4]