Some foods just speak to the season.
In July and August, citrus often rules supreme because its bright, sunny taste brings to mind the roadside lemonade stands and fruity Popsicles we enjoyed as kids.
Now that we’re adults, lemon and lime add sparkle to so many refreshing cocktails. They’re easy to find just about anywhere and provide a relatively inexpensive way to add a punch of acidic flavor to everything the fruit rubs shoulders with.
This modern take on a vintage Southern pie made with lemon and lime juices absolutely shines on a dessert table when it’s hot and muggy outside—which is just about every day, it seems, between Memorial and Labor days in Pittsburgh. It was created a little over a decade ago by cookbook author Bill Smith, who was the chef at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for nearly 30 years until his retirement in 2019.
In 2011, he was asked to teach a group of food writers and chefs from the Southern Foodways Alliance about his home state’s food traditions (he grew up in New Bern, North Carolina). To illustrate dessert, he decided to recreate the much-loved, no-frills “icebox” lemon pie of his youth, Atlantic Beach pie.
A common dessert in seafood restaurants along North Carolina’s coast, its zippy, lemony custard filling is traditionally topped with meringue, with a salty, cracker-crumb crust made from crushed Ritz crackers. Smith’s updated version is built on a crumbled Saltine cracker crust, with whipped cream sprinkled with coarse sea salt standing in for the meringue, which can be frustrating to make when it’s humid outside.
When Smith brought the recipe back to his restaurant, it not only became an instant hit, it soon went viral. “Southern Living” called it “The Best Dish of Summer.”
The recipe calls for half a cup of lemon or lime juice, or a mix of both. Fresh-squeezed is better than bottled, though in a pinch you can take that shortcut. It’s easy enough that you can actually make it at the beach while on vacation.
There’s just one caveat: You'll want to make the pie at least several hours before you plan to eat it so it can properly chill. Then, wait until serving time to top it with the whipped cream and a pinch of salt to make the pie pop.
