Lemon Icebox Pie with Lemon Blueberry Compote

I’m not a big dessert maker–or much of a sweets eater, for that matter–but I do try to make desserts for special occasions, or when we’re having company over for dinner. I love to have a few easy, foolproof, but delicious go-to recipes. I often lean toward lemon desserts, because–believe it or not–not every menu plays well with chocolate.

Enter Lemon Icebox Pie, which plays well with EVERYTHING. A dessert for all seasons, it’s rich, but not too rich. It’s refreshing, but still a little indulgent. And I’ve never had anyone say that they can’t eat/hate/are allergic to Lemon Icebox Pie. On the contrary, nobody ever seems to turn it down.

This may be the best and easiest make-ahead dessert in my arsenal. No cooking needed, just mixing, and you pour it all in a graham cracker crust that you bought fully formed at a grocery store. I’ve made it 3 or 4 days ahead with no trouble at all. It’s a little plain-looking, which is why I’m usually serving it with some sort of garnish. Candied lemon and orange slices are nice in winter. Raspberry puree is fine anytime. But in early summer, fresh blueberry compote can’t be beat. See below.

Please, please, please use fresh lemons for this pie. When there are so few ingredients, the quality of the individual constituents matters very much. And here along the Gulf Coast, blueberries are coming into season right now. The compote below freezes well, but still it’s best to start with fresh blueberries if possible. You don’t have to pick them yourself, but fresh, local berries ought to be readily available right now.

Lemon Icebox Pie

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh lemon juice (4-6 lemons, depending on size)
Zest of two lemons
1 9” graham cracker crumb pie crust

Combine first 4 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smoothly combined and creamy. Pour into the crust. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. May be made up to 3 or 4 days in advance.

Fresh Lemon Blueberry Compote

2 pints fresh picked blueberries
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
½-⅔ cups sugar, or to taste depending on the sweetness of the berries

Combine blueberries, lemon juice, and half a cup of sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until blueberries are wilted and soft–this may take 5 or 6 minutes. Continue to cook on medium 4-5 minutes beyond that, or until the amount of juices and blueberries are about equal. Taste. Compote should be pleasantly sweet, but the sugar shouldn’t overrule the tartness of the lemon and the flavor of the berries. Add a little more sugar if needed and stir to dissolve. Cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Excellent over ice cream, cheesecake, cream cheese blintzes, ricotta crepes, waffles, pancakes, shortcake biscuits, pound cake, etc . . .