Lemon Meringue Pie

Meringues are a little tricky. I think mine would have turned out perfect if I hadn't forgotten to pre-bake my crust before filling it. We salvaged the filling but had to make a new crust, which gave the filling time to cool before being topped with the meringue. Hot filling prevents your pie from weeping. Nevertheless, my pie came out very pretty. Follow the directions closely and you should have no trouble. Because this is a time-sensitive production, I suggest prepping all of your ingredients before you begin (as well as baking your crust)!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk

2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp. butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 all-butter pie crust, pre-baked
4 egg whites
6 Tbsp. white sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. (This is called tempering.) Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

3. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie (while the lemon filling is still hot), sealing the edges at the crust.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

(Adapted from All Recipes)