I had a friend request that I post my recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie, so I decided to make it for myself for my birthday since I don't really like cake, and this is my favorite pie. When Rusty and I were dating, I learned that his favorite pie was Lemon Meringue Pie, so I decided to make him one. It didn't turn out so well, the lemon part didn't firm up. So I made another one. The lemon part of the second one was like rubber (I may have overdone the cornstarch just a little)! So I made another one, and the lemon part was soup again. The fourth time (I think), I followed the directions EXACTLY (I have a little problem with following the directions :)), and this time it came out well. The recipe I used last weekend was from my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. It has a failproof recipe for meringue (yet another time, I was making pies for Thanksgiving, and I went through 2 dozen eggs and finally ended up buying a new bowl and measuring cups because I could get the meringue to firm up)! The inside is a little soup because the pie was a little warm still. By the next morning the lemon part was the perfect consistency, so I would suggest making this at least 6 hours before you need to serve it so it has plenty of time to chill. If you want to serve it warm, just know that the lemon part will be a little runny but still very, very good.
Pie Crust
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP shortening
2-3 TBSP cold water
Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening with shortening cutter or 2 knives, until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 TBSP at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened.
Gather pastry into ball and refrigerate about 30 minutes. On floured surface, flatten pie crust into circle 2 inches bigger than pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths, and place in pie plate. Unfold pastry, and press firmly against side and bottom of pie plate. Heat oven to 425 and bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
Pie filling
3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
3 TBSP butter
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 drops yellow food color, if desired
Beat egg yolks with fork in small bowl, set aside. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute
Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute, remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food color (I never add the food color). Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top (I've never done this and never had a problem with a tough layer on top).
Finish making meringue.
Meringue
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
4 large egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat. Cool completely while making pie filling.
Beat egg whites and salt in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks just start to form. Very gradually beat in sugar mixture until stiff peaks form.
Pour hot pie filling into pie crust. Spoon meringue on top of pie filling, and smooth to the edges of the pie crust. This will prevent the meringue from shrinking as it bakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until meringue is light brown. Cool away from draft for 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate until serving.
A couple notes:
*When making the meringue, make sure all beaters, spoons, spatulas, bowl, anything that touches the meringue are clean and have not touched oil. Any oil at all will cause the meringue to never become firm.
*As always, refrigerate all leftovers. Any dessert with fruit should be refrigerated after serving.
*The sugar/cornstarch mixture helps make the meringue foolproof, and keeps it from shrinking and weeping.
Pie Crust
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP shortening
2-3 TBSP cold water
Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening with shortening cutter or 2 knives, until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 TBSP at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened.
Gather pastry into ball and refrigerate about 30 minutes. On floured surface, flatten pie crust into circle 2 inches bigger than pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths, and place in pie plate. Unfold pastry, and press firmly against side and bottom of pie plate. Heat oven to 425 and bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
Pie filling
3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
3 TBSP butter
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 drops yellow food color, if desired
Beat egg yolks with fork in small bowl, set aside. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute
Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute, remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food color (I never add the food color). Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top (I've never done this and never had a problem with a tough layer on top).
Finish making meringue.
Meringue
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
4 large egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat. Cool completely while making pie filling.
Beat egg whites and salt in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks just start to form. Very gradually beat in sugar mixture until stiff peaks form.
Pour hot pie filling into pie crust. Spoon meringue on top of pie filling, and smooth to the edges of the pie crust. This will prevent the meringue from shrinking as it bakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until meringue is light brown. Cool away from draft for 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate until serving.
A couple notes:
*When making the meringue, make sure all beaters, spoons, spatulas, bowl, anything that touches the meringue are clean and have not touched oil. Any oil at all will cause the meringue to never become firm.
*As always, refrigerate all leftovers. Any dessert with fruit should be refrigerated after serving.
*The sugar/cornstarch mixture helps make the meringue foolproof, and keeps it from shrinking and weeping.
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