Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

As Father's Day is approaching this weekend, the boys and I thought it would be fun to make a yummy treat to be enjoyed.  My Dad LOVES pie, Lemon Meringue specifically.  Jeremy also likes this same pie which created an obvious baking choice for us!  Rather than have to split the pie, we baked two!

As with most things, baking from scratch requires a decent amount of time to be invested.  We had no where to be today and there was a cool breeze in the air so we got started early this morning.

I will share the ingredients and measurements for a single 9 inch pie.

Pie Crust

We began by making our pie crust.  Some people prefer to buy their own crusts, but quite frankly- homemade tastes better and it doesn't take much time at all. 

I didn't have any shortening on hand when I began this process today, so I opted for an oil based pie crust.  

In a bowl mix together 1c and 2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/3 c oil.  Your texture will look like this.

Add water, a tbsp at a time for a total of 2-3 tbsp until your dough starts to take shape of a ball.

Place your dough on a piece of wax paper ...

and cover the dough with another piece of wax paper.

Use a rolling pin to now flatten and roll out your dough to fit your 9 inch pie plate.

Once flattened, peel one side of the wax paper off and place in your pie plate.  

Then peel the second sheet of wax paper off and shape the dough in your pie plate.

Fold the edges of your pie plate if you prefer a design.

Once your dough is properly placed, take a fork and poke holes all through the dough to prevent the dough from rising while baking.  Bake the pie crust for 7-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Once your dough is done baking, set aside to cool.

Lemon Filling

Before getting started on your filling, some prep work is required.  To start, slice a bag of lemons in half to juice them. 

You will need 1/2 c of fresh lemon juice.  Once that has been achieved, set aside.

Now it is time to extract the rind of the lemons.  The boys helped me grate the lemon rind.  

Measure out 2 tsp of grated lemon zest and set aside.  If you have extra, you can freeze it for a later recipe!

Now combine 6 tbsp of cornstarch with 1/2 c of water in a bowl and mix well until the cornstarch has completely dissolved.  Set aside.

Here comes the EGG part.  At this time, you will be separating your yolks from your egg whites.  In one bowl keep 5 yolks and in another bowl keep 6 egg whites.

Now that all our prep has been taken care of, we get to heat and combine.  In a saucepan whisk together the egg yolks, 1 3/4 c sugar, lemon juice and 1 c water until well blended.  Continually stir to keep the filling from sticking and burning.  Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring it to a boil over  medium heat until the mixture thickens.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in your lemon zest.  Using a spatula, pour the filling into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling to keep it hot.  Your filling MUST stay hot while you make your meringue.

Set aside to make your meringue.

Meringue

To make the meringue, in a large bowl, combine your egg whites and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.

Using a mixer, beat this on a medium speed until the whites begin to thicken.  Increase your speed and beat until soft peaks start to form.  Be prepared to beat for about 8 consistant minutes.

Slowly add 6 tbsp sugar and continue to beat until stiff, shiny peaks form.  This will take another 5 minutes or so.

Building Your Pie

Remove the plastic wrap from your hot filling and evenly pour it into your prebaked crust.  

Distribute the meringue evenly over the filling, mounding it towards the center and spreading it to the edge to seal the crust.

Use the back of a spoon to form peaks and swirls in the meringue.

Bake at 350 for 12-17 minutes. 

When the surface of your meringue is golden in color remove from the oven so your peaks do not burn.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for an hour.  Once completly cooled, refrigerate until cold for 5 hours or overnight.  Serve cold.

The Daddys in our family LOVE to be spoiled with this dessert, how will you spoil yours??