Lemon Meringue Pie

I thought I didn't like meringue. It's true. My husband, however, loves meringue and very politely asked me to make a lemon meringue pie for him. After much procrastination, this is what happened...

Ingredients:

Blind-baked pie crust (click the link to find my previous post about it)

Meringue:

¾ teaspoon cream of tartar

¾ cup sugar

6 large egg whites (reserve the yolks for the filling)

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Filling:

½ cup cornstarch

1 ½ cups sugar

2 ¾ cups water

2 large eggs

6 large egg yolks

¼ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from approximately 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

With the three components of crust, meringue, and filling, this pie requires an investment of time so plan accordingly. While your blind-baked pie crust is cooling, heat one inch of water to a simmer in a medium skillet and turn off the heat. In a heat proof bowl, combine the cream of tartar and sugar, then add the egg whites and 2 tablespoons of water. You want to break up the whites but do not beat to a foam. Place an instant read thermometer in a glass of hot tap water and set aside. Put the egg white bowl in the skillet of water and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl continuously with a rubber spatula until the thermometer reaches 160 degrees. (My thermometer was broken so I waited about 5 minutes and felt that was long enough.) Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand-held mixer, and beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute on medium speed.

Place the cornstarch in the smallest saucepan you own. Add the cold water and let stand for 1 minute, then stir well. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then beat it 1 heaping tablespoon at a time into the meringue until all is incorporated. Add the salt and vanilla, beating on high speed for a few minutes until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium saucepan stir together the cornstarch and sugar, then add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixtures thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Whisk the eggs and yolks together in a medium bowl. Temper the eggs with several tablespoons of the hot cornstarch mixture, then add the eggs to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour the hot filling into the blind-baked pie crust and top immediately with the meringue. Make sure that the meringue touches the crust all the way around to create a seal that will prevent shrinkage while baking.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the pie 180 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes until the pie is a light brown all over. Refrigerate the uncovered pie for several hours before serving. Cover for longer storage.

In the end, I was extremely pleased with how my pie turned out so I had to taste it as well. Much to my surprise, I actually liked the taste of the meringue. I guess the mantra we keep repeating to our six-year old is true, “taste buds change over time!”

I received this recipe from a pie baking class and the instructor cited the following source: Corriher, Shirley. “Lemon on Lemon on Lemon Meringue Pie.” Recipe. Cookwise. HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. 243. Print.