Grandma Lorraine's Lemon Meringue Pie

Serving suggestion: 

 

Prep and cook time:

35 Minutes prep, 15 Minutes cook
 

Makes:

1 pie - 8 servings

Ingredients:

 

1½ cup + 6 tbsp

sugar
 

7 tbsp

cornstarch
 

dash

salt
 

1 ½ cup

water
 

3

eggs, separated (yolks and whites)
 

6 fresh

lemons
 

1 tsp

grated lemon peel
 

2 tbsp

butter
 

5 oz (½ cup + 2 tbsp)

lemon juice
 

1

pie crust (frozen ones work fine)

Directions:

Pie:

  1. Beat the eggs yolk gently.  Set aside. 

  2. Mix 1½ cup sugar, cornstarch, salt and water in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly (about 5 minutes).  Cook and stir until thick.  Remove from heat. 

  3. Stir small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolks (brings them up to temperature without cooking them into scrambled eggs).  Add all the egg mixture back into the hot sugar mixture, return to stove, and bring to boil, stirring constantly (about 1 minute).  Remove from heat.

  4. Stir in lemon peel and butter. 

  5. Slowly add the lemon juice (saving 1 tsp for the meringue, below) to mixture.  Cool mixture to lukewarm, then add to pie shell. 

Meringue: 

  1. Beat the egg whites with the reserved 1 tsp of lemon juice until they form soft peaks. 

  2. Add in the 6 tbsp of sugar.  Beat egg whites until the sugar is dissolved and they form stiff peaks. 

  3. Spread meringue on pie filling, bonding it to the edges of the pie crust. 

 

Bake at 350o F for 12-15 minutes. 

Like many of the best folk recipes, this one actually starts with the line, "First steal 6 lemons from your neighbors' tree".  Fresh lemons really make a difference.  Thanks to the Schlacte's for supporting the pie habit. 

Tips:

Meringue:  Be careful not to overwork the meringue.  If you overbeat it, it can sometimes collapse and then it won't form stiff peaks. 

Pie crust:  If you gently poke the crust with a fork, it tends to avoid any issues while cooking. 

Tangy pie:  Grandma likes her pie tangy, so her recipe for the filling calls for more lemon juice than is typical - an extra 2 tbsp.  And if you are using Meyer lemons, which are very sweet, you might want to add even more juice.  It can make the filling a little runny, but after you taste it, you won't care!

Original recipe yield: about 8 servings.

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