Lemon Meringue Pie

I blame it on my Grandfather... but I absolutely love Lemon Meringue Pie! It was his favorite and we had it at every family holiday dinner. So over time, I fell in love with it too. Forget pumpkin or apple pie on any holiday, I want a slice of lemon meringue. And I want it to be homemade with a double-batch of meringue on top, please! Picky, huh?

Isn't this beautiful? I opened the oven and nearly died in my excitement at it's perfection.

The amazing thing about my life after weight loss surgery is that I eat just one small slice of lemon meringue pie and I'm perfectly happy and satisfied with that size serving. The old me would have gone back for 3 or more slices. Today for Thanksgiving I had a small slice for dessert and I was done. Well.... until a few hours later when I had one more small slice to hold me over until Christmas. We had an abundance of other pies and desserts, of course -- so when half of my lemon pie was left I gave it away. The old me, before surgery, would have hoarded that half of pie all to myself and eaten the entire thing. But my new healthy living attitude reassures me that one slice (or two small slices) is just enough for me.

This recipe is from a Taste of Home Cookbook. And NO, it is not WLS-friendly. There's sugar in this sucker folks... if you're a dumper, go ahead and experiment to see if it would work with Splenda. But for this sweet treat, I'm a purist and needed to use sugar.

Lemon Filling

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 c cold water
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons lemon juice (I used bottled)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (I skipped this)
1 teaspoon butter

Meringue (this is a double batch)

6 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or use 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice instead)
3/4 c sugar

I used a store-bought pie crust because they're cheap and easy and just as delicious as homemade, in my opinion. Plus, they're a whole lot less messy if you're only making one pie.

Mix the lemon filling ingredients and heat over medium heat until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes - stirring twice during cooling process. Pour warm lemon filling into the baked pie crust.

Meringue is mixed best when everything is very, very cold. Chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer while you separate the egg whites. Make sure the eggs are very cold too (I put mine in the freezer for 2-3 minutes before mixing them). With an electric mixer mix the egg whites and cream of tarter (or lemon juice) until soft peaks form, then slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Continue mixing until the egg whites form stiff glossy peaks. Spoon meringue onto warm pie being sure to seal all the edges.

Bake in 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Let cool 1 hour on counter, then chill in refrigerator for 3 hours before serving.

I just love the way meringue looks when it's all glossy and stiff like this before it's cooked. It's so pretty! I could seriously just frame that photo and put it in my kitchen -- what a lovely site to behold!

Other delicious dessert recipes

Vanilla Egg Custard
Pumpkin Fluff
Finger Jell-O Fruit Bars