Lemon Meringue Pie

Friday, a co-worker shared some

lemons his brother had send him.

They'd come right off of his tree

in California.

It was a citrus delight.

 

They were beautiful, firm and tart.

They still had leaves attached. 

What should I do when life hands me lemons?

Why make a lemon meringue pie.

I don't remember where I got this recipe, I've had it for a long time.

All I know is that it's excellent.  The sweet meringue offsets the 

tart citrus flavor. Perfect.

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

1    9 inch pie crust, prebaked and cool.

Filling:

4 large egg yolks

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup  fresh lemon juice

2 T. cornstarch

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces 

Meringue 

 I make more than what the original recipe said because when I pipe it into the pie there was never enough to cover the entire pie right up to the edges.  This prevents the filling from seeping out.

6 large egge whites

3/8 t. cornstarch

3/8 t. cream of tartar

3/4 cup superfine sugar * note

1 1/2  t. vanilla 

 Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare the filling: 

 In the top of a double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Place over simmering water.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should be very thick.  Do not let mixture boil.  Remove mixture from over the water.  Stir in butter.  Pour into crust. 

3. To prepare meringue:

 Beat egg whites at medium speed until foamy.  Beat in cornstarch and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla at high speed until stiff, but not dry peaks form.  It's important not over beat the mixture.

4. Spoon meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe meringue decoratively over pie filling to the edge of the crust.  Bake pie until meringue is golden, 12-15 minutes. 

Now it's time for tea and pie and see

who makes the cut on the Amazing Race.

Until Next Time-