Amelia Bedelia's Lemon Meringue Pie

A delicious Lemon Meringue Pie – a' la Amelia Bedelia

This recipe makes 2 lemon filled pies

Make the pie crust, then the filling, then add the meringue.

Lemon Pie – in honor of Amelia Bedelia

Pie Crust
Ingredients – pie crust (two crusts)

·       2 1/2  cups all-purpose flour

·       1/2  teaspoon

·       1 cup shortening chilled

·       6 tablespoons ice water

Method:

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. 
2. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse crumbles.
3. Sprinkle in the ice cold water and toss mixture with a fork to moisten.  Slowly add in the rest of the water until the dough begins to ball together.
4. Divide the dough and form into two balls.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from refrigerator and roll each ball into a circle to cover the bottom of the pie pan/glass dish.
7. Put in a pie plate.
8. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a fork.  Put a circle of baking paper (or waxed paper) on the bottom of the piecrust. Put dry beans, on top of the baking paper in the pie pan, to weight the crust down and keep it from bubbling up.
9. Bake until lightly brown, in a pre-heated 375 degree oven.

Ingredients/Method – Filling

Whisk together in a 2-3 cup measuring cup :

·      8 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)

Combine in a separate medium-sized saucepan

·      1 cup cornstarch

• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat and slowly pour in (and whisk as pouring) the egg yolks.  Return to the heat, this time on low, and heat up once again – stirring constantly.  Add in while whisking:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• Pour lemon mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while filling is still hot. Make sure meringue completely covers filling and that it goes right up to the edge of the crust.

Meringue

May be made while pie shell is baking

8 egg whites

2 pinches of Cream of Tartar

4 Tablespoons of sugar

Beat together, with a whisk, until mixture is fluffy and firm.

Put Meringue on top as described above.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until meringue is golden.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Make sure pie is cooled completely before slicing.