8V Because my current idiom DEMANDED it. That's not a state of mind you spurn any kind of pie in. Why not share a digital pie with all the digital people? XD

Lemon meringue is complex in theory, but with a little work and reliable tools it can be easy to whip up and impress some less culinarily-inclined folks. Or more culinarily-inclined folks. No one will care if you brag—so long as they get to eat this pie. XD

This involves my recipe for pie crust so some of this information is repeated from my blueberry pie recipe. It was also originally taken from a very old copy of The Blender Cookbook and tweaked to make it less ‘60s, more tasty, and not involve an unwieldly blender! Makes for a nice potluck contribution!



Ingredients (Crust):

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-1 cup self-rising flour

-2/3 cup of vegetable shortening

-Between 6 and 7 tablespoons of very cold water (use less when it’s hotter, more when it’s cold out)

-pinch of salt



Ingredients (Lemon Filling):

-The juice of one large lemon (roughly ¼ cup amount)

-zest of a whole lemon

-3/4 cup cane sugar

-1/4 cup of corn starch

-1 cup of water

-pinch of salt

-3 egg yolks

-1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Ingredients (Meringue):

-3 egg whites

-1/3 cup of cane sugar

-1/8 teaspoon of vanilla



Equipment:

-Large pie pan, 9” diameter is recommended

-medium sized mixing bowl

-rolling pin and board (or wax paper on any clean flat surface)

-medium saucepan

-Big spoon

-sifter

-fork and a knife you trust

-Electric mixer (you definitely need this for the meringue, unless you’d like to get STRONK wrists)



How Do:

First, make the crust. Sift your two flours together well into the mixing bowl, adding a pinch of salt. Using a fork feather and mix in your shortening until visible chunks are very small, then slowly add your cold water and mix until it has formed a firm ball of dough. Wrap it in wax paper or clingwrap and refrigerate it for now.

Next begin your lemon filling. Fill your saucepan with the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, zest, corn starch, salt, sugar, and butter and use the mixer in it for twenty seconds to blend everything together. Turn the heat on low and stir it continuously until the filling reaches a pudding consistency, then remove from heat and let cool off for a bit.

Time to roll out one of your crust doughball into the bottom crust—it should roll out to roughly 1/4 inch in thickness. Carefully drape it into your pie pan and crimp the edges, and finally take your fork and poke the bottom and edges liberally but gently. To keep the bottom firm, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and partially bake this crust for ten minutes, so that it puffs up slightly but does not change color.

While your crust prebakes, make sure your mixing bowl is 100% clean and dry and your mixer is the same. Meringue time—take your egg whites and add your vanilla to it. With your mixer starting on a low speed in the whites, slowly add your 1/3 cup of sugar to it about a teaspoon at a time. Raise the speed after a minute or two after all the sugar has been introduced and continue to beat the heckie out of it until the meringue forms into soft, white, glossy and tall peaks. This will be more difficult the more humid it is—so make sure your tools for this are 100% clean and dry before attempting!

Once your meringue is done don’t waste any time—take your prebaked crust out and fill it with lemon filling in an even layer, then carefully spoon your meringue on top, using the back of the spoon to form peaks and valleys in it. Once it’s all set into place, put the pie back into the oven to bake for 12 minutes or until the crust’s edges (and peaks of the meringue!) are golden-brown.

Cool this pie for at least two hours before enjoying—it’s good warm but it will hold up its layers best when it’s been properly chilled. Nom nom nom!

(Wait... best served chilled... -w-; That means I must exercise patience around pie.)