Lemon Meringue Pie

My grandmother Mae was notorious for her sweet tooth. How she lived to 97 on a diet that included daily jelly donuts I have no idea.

She loved to bake and one of her favorite things to make for us was lemon meringue pie. I still remember the magic of that whipped meringue topping that went into the oven like soft cloudy pillows and came out firm and golden brown.

Taking that first bite? Cutting into the light billowy meringue, scooping up that buttery lemon filling? Sigh.

Now as much as I loved my grandmother’s pie, she left no record of the recipe that I have found. But this one? It’s even better.

There are two elements that make up a perfect lemon meringue pie—a lemon curd filling that is just the right balance of tart and sweet, and a tall and tender meringue topping, lightly browned.

There is a third element—the crust, of course. I make an all-butter crust for the pie this way, but you can easily use a store-bought frozen crust for this recipe.

Lemon curd fillings are fairly standard for a lemon meringue pie. You make it with egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest, and fortify with cornstarch so it holds its shape when you cut the pie.

Making the meringue is where people may encounter problems. Egg whites demand attention to whip well, and extra help to hold their shape in a meringue.

The trick I learned from Shirley Corriher (author of Cookwise) is to add a gelled cornstarch and water mixture to the meringue. In addition to the acid from cream of tartar, and the use of sugar, the cornstarch helps the meringue hold its shape, and keep it from weeping or shrinking when baked in the pie.

This is how you get a “mile-high” meringue pie. Plenty of egg whites, and enough support to keep the whipped meringue sturdy enough to cut, yet tender to eat.

Enjoy!