RECIPE: Directly From Walt – This Chris’s Cold Pie Recipe is Perfect for Memorial Day Weekend

When I think Memorial Day weekend, one of the things I think of are retro desserts. Whether its apple pie or my grandma’s slightly dubious Waldorf Salad. That’s why we’re so excited that Disney has decided to pull an awesome recipe out of the archives that was named after Walt’s first grandchild! 

Walt Disney with three of his grandchildren: Tammy, Joanna and Christopher. //ADDITIONAL INFO: n.disneyanafanclub 07/20/12 Ð Photo by MARK EADES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER — Walt Disney with three of his grandchildren: Tammy, Joanna and Christopher

Walt Disney, as history, tells us, preferred plan foods. As D23 tells us, this included favorites like chilli and beans with soda crackers, roast beef hash and V-8 tomato juice.  If it was a soup, stew, cheeseburger or steak Walt loved it! When it came to sweet treats, his daughter Diane Disney Miller remembers that Walt’s favorite desserts were Apple Brown Betty, custards, bread pudding and red jello with fruit. 

Fast-Forward to the 1960’s when Walt’s family recipe for a lemon pie was published in a cookbook created by Ike and Mamie Eisenhower. The decision was made to name this simple yet delicious treat after Walt’s first grandchild Chris. So it officially became Chris’s Cold Pie! 

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• ¹⁄₂ cup lemon juice
• ¹⁄₂ cup water
• 1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup sugar
• ¹⁄₄ tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon rind
• 1 graham cracker crust (recipe on box)
• Nutmeg

Preparation

• In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with lemon juice and water until just combined.
• Mix gelatin, half the sugar and the salt in the top of a double boiler.
• Pour in egg yolk mixture, blending well.
• Cook, stirring constantly, over boiling water (water should not touch top section of the double boiler) until gelatin dissolves and mixture thickens.
• Remove top from boiling water.
• Stir in lemon rind.
• Let set 20 minutes in a bowl filled with ice cubes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from ice when mixture thickens enough to mound when dropped from a spoon.
• Meanwhile, beat egg whites (at room temperature) in a large bowl until soft peaks form when beater is raised.
• Gradually add remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Continue beating until stiff peaks form when batter is raised.
• Gently fold gelatin mixture into egg whites just until combined.
• Turn into pie crust. Dust top with nutmeg and chill several hours. (If desired, omit nutmeg and serve topped with whipped cream.)

It sounds like the perfect taste of Summer and we here at MickeyBlog can’t wait to try it out! Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for the latest ways to stay updated this Memorial Day!

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