Lemon Meringue Pie

Single Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp butter, chilled in about 4 pieces
• 2 tbsp shortening, chilled in about 4 pieces
• 3-4 tbsp ice water

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Rub in butter and shortening with your fingertips until mixture is very coarse, but no pieces larger than a large pea remain.
3. Using a fork, stir in ice water until dough almost comes together into a ball.
4. Press dough into a ball with your hands and wrap in plastic.
5. Chill for at least 30-60 minutes before using.
6. To prebake, preheat oven to 375F. Roll dough out to fit a 9-inch pie pan and trim the crust.
7. Prick the bottom with a fork a few times. Line the inside of the crust with aluminum foil, not covering the edges, and fill with pie weights or about 2 cups of dried beans.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove foil and weights and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until medium brown at the edges.
9. Set aside to cool

Lemon Meringue Pie (recipe from Gale Gand)

1 recipe pie crust (see above), prebaked

For the filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp ap flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp lemon oil (optional)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature

For the Meringue:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, flour, salt and water.
2. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring with a whisk, for 3 minutes, until quite thick.
3. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks with lemon juice, oil and zest.
4. Gradually temper eggs with about 1/2 cup of sugar mixture.
5. Return saucepan to the heat and, whisking continuously, stream in lemon mixture.
6. Add in butter and cook over medium-high heat for another 3 minutes.
7. Pour into prepared crust.
8. Allow to cool to room temerature.
9. One filling is cooled, preheat oven to 350F.
10. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil and turn heat to low.
11. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Beat in cream of tartar and beat at high speed until egg whites reach soft peaks.
12. Carefully, with the mixer turned down, stream in sugar syrup and beat to medium stiff peaks.
13. Spoon meringue onto pie filling and make sure to completely seal the edges with the crust, leaving no filling exposed.
14. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until meringue is lightly browned.

Makes 1 pie.

Recipe taken from:
http://bakingbites.com/2005/11/cooking-school-lemon-meringue-pie/