Classic sweet-tart lemon custard

7 insanely delicious icebox pies: cool sweet bliss

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2 Comments | Written on August 2, 2013 at 3:00 pm, by The Editors

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If there’s a phrase that conjures up a more delicious sense of relief from the sultry dog days of summer than “icebox pie,” we don’t know it. How two little words — a mere three syllables in all — could evoke the best of summer no doubt has to do with the anticipation of that first cool, sweet, airy bite on a hot August evening, a simple pleasure like the sigh that comes from the rustle of a lazy breeze.

And, too, there’s the old-timey comfort of the word “icebox” itself. We may hole ourselves up these days with the A/C on full blast, but most of us still appreciate the idea of a languid evening on the porch and the gentler chill imparted by a cool dessert. No surprise that these genius confections originated in the South, and that “icebox” referred to, well, iceboxes in the days before refrigerators. As such, even if you’re freezing your pie to set, most icebox pies are at their best when you let them soften a bit in the fridge or on the counter.

Old-fashioned as they may be (in a good way), this is one summer tradition worth keeping alive. An excuse to have an icebox pie chilling in the fridge? That’ll have you looking forward to the next heat wave. The phrase “Grandma’s icebox pie” seems somehow apt; make one of these recipes from some of our favorite food bloggers your own, and you’ll have a gem to pass down to the next generation.