Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is one of my dad's favorite pies. Every time we have it....every time, he tells the same corny joke. Every time. It happened again on Christmas day. He lays his left hand on the table and says..."You know what my hand and this pie have in common? They both have "mah-rang" on it". Har-de-har-har. Every time. I guess it wouldn't be Christmas without his corny jokes.  And if you're looking for a really good pie...this is it! I'm not a huge fan of lemon-y things...but I do enjoy a piece of this pie. The tart/sweet combo is delicious. The crust...flaky and tender. Just a wonderful dessert. I hear that pie is going to be the "new" thing...replacing cupcakes. I say...can't we all just get along???? Pie and cupcakes residing in perfect harmony....what could be better???

Lemon Meringue Pie




Roll out pie dough for 1 9" pie shell and place in a pie pan. Bake pie shell for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Set aside.

For filling:
 
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons - zested and juiced
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten

For meringue:
 
4 egg whites
6 tablespoon sugar

To make lemon filling:
 
In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir in water, 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 about a 1/2 cup of the hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pie shell.

To make meringue:
 
Whip egg whites until foamy. Add 6 tablespoons of sugar gradually and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Chill pie.

 Let's get going....

Place the dry stuff in the saucepan....

..stir it up.

Zesty!

Add the liquid....and the zest! Boil it, baby!

Then beat those yolks into submission.

Then add some of the hot mixture to the yolks!

Pour it back into the saucepan and cook until thick!

Prebake your pie shell!

Pour the lemony goodness into the baked pie shell.

Plop on the meringue!

Pop it in the oven to brown a little bit.
Mmmm....lucious!