Can anyone resist whipped cream? I can’t. I once asked my mother for a whipped cream pie instead of a birthday cake. A pie shell filled with whipped cream.

I grew up during a time before dessert descriptions on menus included a long list of adjectives, like: A light, fluffy, dark French chocolate sponge cake baked with fragrant almond flour, split in half and filled with a layer of tender pears and creamy mascarpone, dusted with a sprinkling of lavender infused organic sugar and served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Sounds great, but just give me a piece of chocolate cream pie. Flaky pie crust, creamy chocolate pudding and a mound of whipped cream.

I'd be lying down on the job if I didn't mention that a mound of freshly whipped cream makes anything that lay beneath it taste better. (The lie/lay thing is kind of a biggie for me, so this will also be an impromptu English lesson).

It’s simple to make. I don't spend time making homemade crust when I can buy the Pillsbury that's ready to throw into the pie plate. Homemade pie crust is great, but a lot of people don't make pies because it’s time-consuming. And I think the Pillsbury is just as good. Except in the case of one I'll mention a little further on that is made right in the pie plate.

Then there's lemon sponge pie.

When I was 15, a restaurant opened just down the dirt road from my family cottage in Cushing. “Our Place” was on a wharf owned by lobsterman John Olson and his wife Betty. I got a job as a waitress. I walked to the job barefoot, but carried sneakers with me and washed my feet by dangling them off the wharf. (I took breaks to lie in the sun on the wharf too. That was back when tans were healthy).

As a side note, the home in the famous painting by Andrew Wyeth, “Christina's World,” was halfway between my cottage and the restaurant. I used to stop and visit Christina on my way by.

So John Olson supplied the lobsters and Betty cooked. A local woman, Barbara Stimpson, made pies. A restaurant in Cushing was a big deal in those days. (Still would be.) It drew people from as far away as Rockland! It even drew some celebrities. Wyeth and his family frequented the place. Our Place became known for Betty's fried clams and Barbara's pies.

Barbara was originally from England, and thanks to her accent and her pies, I idolized her. She made chocolate cream, butterscotch cream and lemon sponge pies, among others. The lemon sponge (see recipe below) was, and is, still one of my favorite pies. It is creamy at the bottom, and light and cakey at the top (just below the whipped cream).

Barbara made her pie crusts right in the pie plate. It is light but rich, and resembles shortbread. The combination of her crusts and fillings, and of course the mounds of freshly whipped cream, was irresistible. Deciding between the chocolate cream and the lemon sponge was never easy.

So, whipped cream. Please don’t ruin a pie it with the canned stuff. Get a half pint of heavy cream, add a couple teaspoons of sugar and a ½ teaspoon of vanilla, and whip. I sometimes add a little cocoa to make chocolate whipped cream, and for anything that goes with a lemon flavor, including the lemon sponge pie and strawberry shortcake I make “whup” cream: add a couple teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of vanilla. Oddly, the lemon juice makes the cream thicken faster.

Barbara’s Pie Crust:

Blend with fork in pie plate: 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. sugar. Mix 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil with 2 tblsp.milk. Pour into flour mixture in pie plate and mix with fork. Press out to edges and bake for 10 minutes at 400.

Lemon Sponge Pie:

1/4 cup melted butter • 1 cup sugar • 3 tblsp. flour • 2 cups milk • 4 eggs, separated • 6-8 tblsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Mix flour and sugar. Combine with butter. Beat in egg yolks, then lemon juice. Add milk slowly, beating constantly. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Fold in gently. Seriously. Be gentle. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes at 425, turn oven down to 325 and bake around 25 minutes. The top should be light golden brown, and the pie shouldn’t jiggle. (Like your stomach might after you eat a few pieces). After it cools, lay on the whipped, or whup, cream.

Sit on the couch and have a piece. Then lay the plate aside and lie (or lay your body) down for a nap.

For more stories about food and other things, type in ‘On eating and loving food’ at the top right of the Boothbay Register website page, in search box.

For more on the lie/lay thing and other questions regarding English grammar see Tom Witt. He can usually be found at Robinson’s Wharf on Thursdays at 4.