Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemons seem appropriate on this blog, although I'm not sure about lemon pie!

However, Joey of Moore Pigs at Fernandina Market gave us these wonderful lemons from his tree last week.  Pie was the first thing that popped into my mind.  Oh, how delicious!

My Favorite Pie Crust

~Makes about 3 crusts~

2 cups flour

1 cup butter Crisco

1/2 cup water

1 Tablespoon sugar

dash of salt

dash of baking powder

Whisk flour, sugar, salt & baking powder.  Cut in Crisco with a pastry blender.  Stir in water with rubber spatula.  Dough is extremely sticky.  Divide in half and wrap each half loosely in waxed paper.  Put in freezer to chill a bit.  Flour a pastry cloth generously (if you don't have a pastry cloth go buy one!! It makes pie crust 400% easier).  Roll out dough bigger than pie pan.  Picking up pastry cloth by two adjoining corners, fold crust in half.  Using the same method, fold again making the pastry a quarter size.  This transfers & unfolds easily in the pie pan.  Trim edge and flute.  Prick bottom & sides for this baked pie crust. Bake 475 F for about 8-10 minutes, until brown.  Cool on wire rack. This is one of those recipes where I wish I could 'demonstrate' instead of write down!

**** I cut the recipe in half for this pie.  It made one 9" pie crust and then I froze a little personal crust for Freddie for later -- he's happy! ****

Lemon Meringue Pie

(My Friend: Betty Crocker!)

Baked Pie Crust

3 large egg yolks

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1-1/2 cups water

3 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/2 cup lemon juice

Heat oven to 400 F. Beat egg yolks with fork in small bowl.  Mix sugar & cornstarch in saucepan.  Gradually stir in water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens & boils.  Boil & stir 1 minute.  Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks; stir back into hot mixture in saucepan.  Boil & stir 1 minute; remove from heat.  Stir in butter, lemon peel & lemon juice.  Pour into pie crust.  Prepare Meringue (see below) & spoon onto pie filling, sealing edges firmly.  Use back of spoon to make peaks.  Bake 8-12 minutes or until meringue is light brown.  Cool.  Cover & refrigerate cooled pie until serving.

Meringue

3 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 heaping tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites & cream of tartar in medium bowl with  electric mixer on high speed until foamy.  Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff & glossy.  Do not under beat.  Beat in vanilla.

*** Next time, I will 1-1/2 this recipe.  I think the pie would have been prettier with more meringue.***