Lemon Meringue Pie

The other day I decided to make lemon meringue pie. I really do not make enough pies and I felt the need to correct that. Thankfully, my scale broke on the same day, so the fattening results of that pie will be unknown to me. Woohoo!

Here is the pie crust recipe that I used. I might add 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of sugar to it next time though. It's definitely not necessary, but my mom makes a sweeter crust and now I see that I prefer it that way.

And one more note. I absolutely love the look of egg whites whipped with sugar. I know that sounds weird, but I really think it looks beautiful and makes a great picture. It also makes a beautiful pie, so I went ahead and added 2 extra egg whites just to make it taller.

Egg whites whipped with sugar

The filling

Let it cool

Lemon Meringue Pie

Serving Size = 1 9-inch pie

Original Recipe

9-inch pie crust, baked (click here for recipe)

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water (I used milk, much better)
• Zest of 2 lemons, and 2 - 3 lemons juiced (you will need 1/2 cup lemon juice)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 4 egg whites (I used 6 to make the meringue taller, optional but not necessary)
• 6 tablespoons white sugar (might consider bumping up to 9 if you add extra egg whites, but I didn't)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. For the meringue: Using your mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they are foamy and then gradually add in the sugar. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. This means that when you lift the the whisk out and hold it sideways, the egg whites should stay pretty straight. 
3. For the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, flour, salt and cornstarch. Stir in the water, lemon juice and zest. Cook over medium-high heat, until the mixture starts to boil (stir frequently). Once it boils, I drop the heat to medium, which keeps the boil but doesn't splatter everywhere. Place the eggs yolks into a small bowl and very slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot mixture to temper the eggs. Whisk the eggs back into the original mixture and make sure it's still at a boil. Continue to cook until it becomes thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, pour the filling into a pre-baked pie pan.
4. Immediately place the meringue on top of the hot lemon filling to help cook the bottom of the meringue. Make sure the meringue touches the edge of the crust and then swirl the top to create a nice presentation.
5. Baked in the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.
6. Let the pie cool down to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but 24 hours is better.

Linking to: Weekend Roundup