Lemon Meringue Pie

My mother's favorite pie is Lemon Meringue. She had a medical procedure done this morning that restricted her to bed for the rest of the day. So, of course, I had to make one! The hardest part about this pie is the crust itself. If you are nervous, don't be! Once you learn how to make a pie crust, you'll never go back to the expensive store-bought.

For crust:

• 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 c. shortening
  
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. ice water
  

For filling:

• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 c. lemon juice (strained)
  
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 3-4 tbsp. butter
  

For meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 c. sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

You will want to make the crust ahead to give the dough ample time to rest and prevent shrinking during baking. Stir flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add shortening. Cut the fat into the flour mixture with a fork, 2 knives, or a pastry blender. When the fat is the size of peas, add the water. Mix it all together until it forms a ball. Turn onto a floured surface. Form into a small, fat disk and wrap in plastic. Refridgerate for 1-2 hours or more.

Back to the floured surface. Gently roll the dough into a large circle with a rolling pin. If it is too hard, let the dough sit at room temp. for 10 min. and retry. Roll the dough loosely around your rolling pin, and drape it into the pie plate. Center it. If it breaks, that's okay! Just use some ice water as glue and press it back into place with your fingers. Use a wet fork to prick around the edges. Cover with foil and fill with dry beans or rice to prevent bubbles from forming. In a 400 degree oven, bake for 10 minutes. Remove beans or rice and foil. Bake for 5 minutes more.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan. Whisk in lemon juice, water, zest, and yolks until monochromatic. Add butter. Over medium heat, bring mixture to simmer stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid scorching. Once the mixture is bubbling, cook for about 1 minute then poor into your pre-baked pie shell. Immediately cover the filling with plastic wrap and begin the meringue.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add cornstarch (This ingredient is very important if you want a beautiful, billowy meringue that does not weep!). Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually while beating. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla last. Remove the plastic from the filling, and spread the meringue on top. Be careful to spread it all the way to the edges, touching the crust. Now have fun creating little peaks with the back of a spoon. The peaks are my mom's favorite part!

Bake 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool at room temperature, then move to the 'fridge for 6-8 hours until the pie is nice and cold. Serve your delicious pie to your family and friends!