Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie (Grandma Drake)


1 /4 cup corn starch

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups cold water

3 egg yolks (slightly beaten)

Grated peel of one lemon (optional)

¼ cup lemon juice (Grandma uses a little more)

1 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 9-inch baked pie shell

3 egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

½ tsp. cream of tartar

Directions for filling: In a medium saucepan, combine corn starch and sugar. Stir in water until smooth. Stir in egg yolks. While stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, and butter. Pour into pie shell while hot.

Directions for meringue: Using an electric mixer. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar. While frothy, add a little sugar. Gradually add sugar while beating. Beat until egg whites form stiff glossy peaks. Pour meringue onto pie filling, carefully sealing entire edge of crust to prevent shrinking. Swirl or pull up points for decorative top. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes or until delicately browned. Refrigerate. Serve cold.

Note: I composed this recipe using two slightly different recipes that I got from Grandma. One recipe called for adding the lemon juice at the first with the egg yolks. One recipe only called for 1 tsp. grated lemon peel. So you might want to experiment with this and modify the recipe to your own taste.

CORRECTION: Thank you to Elizabeth Lund for making the comment that I forgot the step of baking the pie shell. I have now corrected the recipe. I encourage any and all readers to notify me of mistakes and omissions in any of the recipes. -- JHD