Lemon Cream Cheese Pie 🍋

Lemon Cream Cheese Pie 🍋🍋 1 baked pie pastry (to fit in a 9-inch pie plate) 1 1/2 cups sugar 6 tablespoons cornstarch 1 pinch salt 1 cup water 2 -3 drops yellow food coloring (optional) 2 teaspoons grated lemons, rind of 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons butter 12 ounces cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioners) 3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped (measure 3/4 cup already whipped) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and pinch of salt. Stir in water, lemon juice, lemon rind and yellow food colouring (if using) bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, and stir for 2 minutes, or until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter; cool to room temperature for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and the powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream and the 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Remove 1/2 cup of the whipped cream/lemon mixture for the garnish. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture into the baked pastry shell. Top with the cooled lemon filling. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, scoop the reserved 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture into a pastry bag with a star tip. Pipe stars onto the pie, or garnish with the reserved cream cheese mixture or as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve