Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is one of our favorites.  There are never leftovers of this pie at our house.

One pie crust blind baked.  Recipe below.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• 1 ½ c sugar 
• 6 T cornstarch 
• 1 ½ c cold water 
• 3 large egg yolks, set whites aside 
• 3 T butter 1 large lemon peel 
• ½ c lemon juice 
• ½ t vanilla

Place the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in the water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, then constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.   Boil and continue stirring for one minute.  Remove from heat.

Place the egg yolks in another bowl and stir one cup of the boiling sugar mixture into the yolks.  Add the hot yolk mixture to the saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Remove the filling from the heat, and add the butter, grated peel, juice, and vanilla, stirring until the butter melts. Spoon the filling into the crust.

Meringue

• 3 large egg whites 
• ¼ t cream of tartar 
• 6 T sugar 
• 1 t vanilla

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl, and beat until foamy.  Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.  Beat in the vanilla.

Spoon the meringue atop the hot pie filling, bringing it all the way to the edge of the pan and covering the crust.

Bake the pie for 8 to 10 minutes, until the meringue is as golden brown as you like it. Remove it from the oven, and allow the pie to cool before serving. 

Blind Baking a Pie Crust

• 3 c flour 
• 2 t salt 
• 2 T sugar 
• 1 and a half sticks butter 
• 4 oz lard 
• 2/3 c ice cold water

Place flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.  Add butter and pulse to about the size of your thumbnail.   Add the water and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. The dough shouldn’t feel sticky

Press the dough into two flat discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Remove one dough disk and place on a floured board, roll out to three inches larger than your pie plate.

Blind baking is also used to keep pie crust from becoming soggy due to a wet filling.  Line the crust with a parchment paper.   Spray the outside of another pie pan with non-stick spray and place in on the parchment –lined crust.

Chill the crust for 30 minutes, to solidify fats and prevent shrinkage.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for twenty minutes.  Remove the pie from the oven, and lift out the paper and weights. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and return the crust to the oven and bake for an additional fifteen minutes.