Lemon Meringue Pie

So i was trying to make this classic lemon meringue pie , since it’s my husband all time favorite , well it used to be his favorite until i made fruit tart not too long ago , and it became his favorite now . But still i think i still owe it to my husband to make him a real good home made lemon meringue pie .

Years ago when we were just married , probably the first year , i tried to make lemon meringue pie for him , okay , not home made from scratch everything , since i bought the pie crust , and then the filling i was using the jello pie filling .. Well it didn’t turn out well at all . Mind you , i barely cooked or baked back then , i couldn’t even cook anything when we first got married . I got this cooking and baking skill ever since my son was born .. which was about 6 years ago . So 10 years ago i was just someone who cannot cook or bake .. LOL . Anyway the pie back then didn’t turn out well .. the filling was runny .. and it didn’t  taste great , what did you expect ? it’s not a home made !! But yet my husband still appreciated it , and ate it .. poor Jay .. LOL ..

So , the past 2 days i’ve been eyeing this recipe , between making lemon meringue pie , or chai pot de creme . Well .. i landed on the classic meringue pie with the above reason that i mentioned earlier . Little did i know .. i made a huge mistake .. i used a deep dish apple pie dish for it .. i have 3 sets of glass pie dish .. and i have the size it requires , but why in the heck did i pick the apple deep dish pie plate ? Duh .. i will re-make this again tomorrow .. it still good , and turns out tasty .. and it wasn’t hard to make , but .. i was just dissapointed with how it looks , since the filling only reached half way up ..

For the crust

1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 stick of cold butter , sliced

2 tbsp. of ice cold water , and maybe you need extra

In a food processor , blend flour and sugar well . Add the butter and pulse until coarse crumb reached , add the ice water while the machine is still running , add a little bit more until the dough shapes . Take it out , and shape into a ball and flatten into a disk , refrigerate for 20 minutes at the least . You will need 9 inch pie glass dish , roll out the dough about 12 inches round , transfer into the pie plate . Line with parchment paper and add pie weights , bake at 400 F for 20 minutes , take the pie weights out , and continue to bake for 15 more minutes . Remove from the oven and let it cool on the rack , while preparing the filling .

The filling :

1 cup of sugar

4 tsp. of cornstarch

2/3 cup of lemon juice

1 tsp. of lemon peel

4 egg yolks

In a medium sauce pan , whisk sugar and cornstarch , add the lemon juice a little at a time , keep whisking . Add the lemon peel , whisk well . Add the egg yolks one at a time while you whisk . Cook on a medium heat , whisking continuously , about 10 minutes , until the mixture boils and thicken . Remove from heat , let it cool . Pour into the cooled pie crust , spread evenly .

For the meringue

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of sugar

Turn down the heat to 350 F , beat the egg whites until foamy then add sugar a little at a time , until stiff peak reached . Spread on top of the lemon filling , all the way to the edge of the crust to seal it , so your meringue won’t shrink . bake for about 10=15 minutes until the meringue turns to pale golden color . Refrigerate overnight before slicing .