Basic Lemon
Meringue Pie
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- PIE FILLING: Fill the
bottom of a double boiler with water, cover and place on heat.
Before placing over bottom of double boiler, combine sugar, cornstarch
and salt in the double boiler top. Gradually add water, stirring
to make sure no lumps form. Whisk in the egg yolks. Place on
top of double boiler bottom and stir until thickened. Remove
from heat. Stir in the butter, lemon juice and peel. Pour into
the pie shell. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- MERINGUE: Before starting
to make the meringue, preheat the oven to 400°F. Beat the
room temperature egg whites with the cream of tartar and sugar
until smooth and shiny, and stiff. Cover the top of the pie with
the meringue, using a spatula or a pastry tube*.
- Place in the oven for
just a couple of minutes, until the tips of the meringue brown.
(If heated too long, the meringue will shrink.) Remove from oven
and serve or return to refrigerator.
Makes 8 servings.
Note: *For salmonella-safe
egg whites
You will need: a medium
stainless steel bowl
a wooden or plastic stirring spoon
a heat-resistant rubber spatula
a medium skillet
a quick-read kitchen thermometer
Place egg whites in bowl.
For each white, add 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon water, and
1/16 teaspoon cream of tartar. Stir gently, breaking up egg whites,
but not raising any foam. Set aside.
In skillet, heat 1 inch
of water to a simmer and remove from heat. Place the bowl in
the hot water and begin stirring and scraping constantly with
rubber spatula to prevent overheating. After 1 minute of constant
stirring, remove bowl from hot water and check temperature with
thermometer (tilt bowl if necessary to have about 2 inches of
white covering thermometer stem).
Temperature must be 160°F.
If not, place the bowl back in the hot water and resume scraping
in 15-second increments until the temperature reaches 160°F.
Rinse off the thermometer in the hot pan water between each use.
When the desired temperature
is reached, proceed with recipe.
