Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Special Supplies:

*9 inch Pie Pan

*Rolling Pin

Pie Crust: Makes 2 (9 to 10 inch) Crusts

*1 and 1/4 cups Cold Butter, cubed

*1/3 cup Cold Butter Flavored Shortening

*3 cups All-purpose Flour

*1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

*1 tablespoon Sugar

*1/2 cup Cold Water, added gradually

In a chilled mixing bowl add flour, sugar and salt, whisk together. Then add the cubed butter and shortening. Use a hand pastry cutter/blender and cut in butter and shortening until small pea size butter pieces. Then form into two piles, each pile on a separate piece of Saran Wrap/plastic wrap and form into a disc and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Remove one dough disk and use the second disk for another time. Roll out the dough on a well floured surface in a circle, large enough to fit pie pan. Roll dough onto a rolling pin and on roll on pie pan or fold in half and place in pie pan. Par-Bake or Pre-Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes in a 375*F. oven.

Note: If desired make an Egg wash with 1 egg white and a tablespoon of water. Brush on egg wash on pie crust before baking. This can help the crust from getting too soft.

Crust recipe adapted from: Food Network

Eggless Lemon Curd:

*1 cup cold Water, more if too thick

*1/2 cup Sugar or 3/4 cup if you like sweeter rather than tart

*6 tablespoons Cornstarch

*1/2 cup Lemon Juice

*4 teaspoons finely grated Lemon Zest

*1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

*6 tablespoons Butter, added after cooking lemon curd

*Yellow Food Coloring, add drop at a time until desired color, optional

Instructions:

In a stainless steel sauce pan on medium-low heat add the water, sugar and cornstarch, cook until it thickens. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, zest and salt, stir until combined. Then add butter and food coloring, mix until smooth allow to cool slightly, then strain mixture through a sieve. Then add slightly cooled lemon curd to the pie crust. Set aside and make the meringue. Note: if you wanted to save the curd for a later time, put curd in a small glass bowl and make sure to cover the curd with plastic wrap directly on top of curd mixture.

Meringue

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup cold Water

*1 cup Sugar

*5 Large Egg Whites

*Pinch of Sea Salt

*1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*1/2 teaspoon Lemon Extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven 400*F.

In a sauce pan on medium heat add the water and sugar. Then bring to a rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whip the egg whites.

In a grease free bowl in your stand mixer with wire whisk on medium speed add 5 egg whites. Beat egg whites until frothy 1 to 2 minutes and then add the cream of Tartar, beat until soft peaks form. Then add the hot sugar syrup mixture. Temper the whipped egg whites by pouring a small amount of the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl while still mixing drizzling in slowly. Once the sugar syrup is incorporated beat the egg white mixture for 5 to 8 minutes. Egg whites will cool and become shiny and make stiff peaks.

Add meringue to the top of the slightly warm lemon curd making sure to go all the way to the edge of the pie crust. Then using the back of a soup size spoon make peaks or swirls in the meringue as desired. Then place pie in the oven and watch the entire time until the tips begin to go light brown or golden about 4 to 6 minutes.

Allow pie to cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Meringue recipe source Blue Ribbon Kitchen