Lion House Lemon Meringue Pie

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I am more well known among my friends for my apple pie making skills, but truth be told, my favorite pie is lemon meringue. In fact, I credit the humble lemon meringue pie as the catalyst for me starting to make pies in the first place. It was way back in high school and for some forgotten reason I decided that I really wanted to make a lemon meringue pie from scratch. Of course I didn't really know what scratch meant back then and with my babysitting money I bought refrigerated pie crust and some Jello lemon pudding mix. Although that first pie turned out quite ugly, it marked the beginning of my love affair with pie making. Since that day 20+ years ago I've made hundreds of pies and still lemon meringue is my favorite and this classic recipe from Lion House makes a great one!

Recipe Source: Lion House Cookbook (an out-of-print cookbook that is among my oldest and most well-loved cookbooks of all time)

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:

LEMON FILLING:
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. cornstarch
1-1/2 cups cold water
3 eggs yolks (reserve egg whites for meringue)
6 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice (or 1/2 cup for a slightly tarter flavor)
1 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
2 Tbs. butter
Baked 9-inch pie shell (see this recipe for the best crust ever)

MERINGUE: (if you like meringue piled higher on the pie, then I recommend making a one-and-a-half batch of the meringue)
3 egg whites (use from the separated eggs in the filling)
6 Tbs. sugar

Directions (these directions are modified somewhat from the cookbook):

In a medium size saucepan combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Slowly add cold water, while whisking rapidly. Stir in egg yolks and place pan over medium heat. Heat mixture until smooth and thick (30-60 seconds of boiling). Remove from heat and add lemon juice, rind, and butter. Stir until combined.

Pour filling into baked pie shell and spread meringue over top while filling is hot.

For meringue: Beat the egg whites on high speed adding the sugar gradually while beating. Continue beating until mixture stands in stiff peaks. (You'll want to watch it carefully, because it is possible to beat egg whites for too long and lose the creamy texture).