Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue happens to be one of my favorite all time pies. I love the combination of sweet and tart. The vibrant yellow of the pie reminds me of spring, something that is missed severely after this very long winter.

I chose to make this pie for the Easter dinner dessert. The husband and I did our own thing for Easter in the attempt to start our own traditions. I would like to make this pie one of the traditional desserts. I would however like to change the way that the pie was served this year. I was waiting to eat my pie until after I spoke with my parents. The husband refused to wait and dug into his pie. What do y'all think of that?

1.5 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
dash of salt
1.5 cups water
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
Baked Pastry Shell (use your refrigerated or the recipe below)
Meringue (recipe listed below)

1. Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and a dash of salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat till thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir for two minutes more. Remove from heat.
2. Separate egg yolks from whites; set whites aside for meringue. Beat egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir 1 cup of hot filling mixture into yolks; return all to saucepan. Bring to gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in butter and lemon peel. Gradually stir in lemon juice, gently mixing well. Pour hot filling into baked pastry shell. Evenly spread meringue over hot filling, seal to edge.
   
4. Bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill to store.

Meringue for Pie
My meringue didn't rise high which is disappointing. It still tastes great, but doesn't have that diner pie look.

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

1. Bring egg whites to room temperature. In a mixing bowl combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute or until soft peaks form.
   
2. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed about 4 minutes more or until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks and sugar dissolves.
3. Immediately spread meringue over pie, carefully sealing to the edge of the pie.

Baked Pastry Shell
Some readers know that I lack the patience with pie crust. It isn't the making of the crust that I find difficult (read: annoying), it is the rolling out of the dough and transferring it to the pie dish. I am getting slightly better at bring the rolled out dough to the dish without breaking it.

The recipe for the single crust pie can be found in the Lemon Chess Pie posting. Prepare as the recipe suggests, except prick the bottom and sides of pastry with the tines of a fork. Bake in oven at 450F for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.