Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie

I originally set out to make a most delicious peanut butter pie. And oh how excited I was about it, too. Gooey, chewy, creamy peanut butter pie. Mmmm… But somehow all of the confectioner’s sugar mysteriously disappeared from the pantry, gone without a trace. Seems to happen quite frequently here at the Oxford Suites. (I’m looking at you, Goose)

So what to do when you already have homemade pie dough resting in the fridge and you’re too lazy to go to the grocery store? You go pick the last remaining Meyer lemons from the lone little tree out back, zest and juice them, and cook them into a tangy-sweet-sour lemon meringue pie. It’s what they were born to do (well that, and Meyer vodka lemonades)!

This recipe is good for all of you condensed milk haters; nothing here but pure lemon flavor. Too bad my taste testers informed me they didn’t like lemon meringue until after the pie went into the oven. Oh well, more for me!

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Source: My Mother’s Southern Kitchen, by James Villas

1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter
One 9-inch pie shell, prebaked

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a heavy saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, and the salt and mix until well blended. Gradually add the boiling water, stirring constantly and cook over moderate heat until the mixture thickens, stirring. Add the lemon peel and juice and stir.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks, add a small amount of the lemon mixture stirring constantly, and pour the egg mixture into the lemon mixture. Add the butter and continue cooking until the mixture is very thick, stirring, then pour into the baked pie shell.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer till thickened, then gradually add the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and beat till stiff peaks form. With a spatula, cover the pie with the meringue, making sure to seal all of the edges. With a spoon, make a few peaks in the meringue, bake just till the top has browned slightly, and cool the pie before serving. Yields 6 servings.

 

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Tagged as: lemon meringue pie, Lemon pie, Meyer lemon