Lemon Meringue Pie to cheer us up!

I just want to give a shout out to all of you who are following my blog...for example the Aunties in Ottawa, Erin M in New York City, my homies in Vancouver, Kelowna and Vernon not to mention the kids and family in Calgary loving my recipes ...just to mention a few.  I hope this helps to bring a smile to your day as we are all isolating ourselves to do our part.

This is a delicious recipe that is easy to make and really cheered us up at dinner time. Click here for my never-fail pastry recipe. The pie needs a blind-baked pie shell (see pic below) to pour the semi cooled lemon filling into. Good luck with this and if you have questions please email me anytime (mlborys@telus.net).  Thanks for joining me and stay safe everyone.

3 cups sugar

160ml corn starch
1 tsp. salt
zest of 2 lemons (wash lemons carefully first and very finely zest lemons but only the most yellow part) 
1  cup lemon juice (4 large lemons)
1 cup water


6 egg yolks (separate the eggs and save the egg whites for the meringue topping)

2 cups boiling water

4 tbsp. butter  (save and put butter in at the very end)

Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt in a heavy pot. Whisk the dry ingredients first and then add lemon juice, zest and 1 cup of water.  Continue to whisk to combine. Turn on the heat, add the beaten egg yolks and whisk to combine  and bring this mixture to a boil,  stirring constantly. When it comes up to the boiling point slowly incorporate the boiling water (slowly because you will find that the mixture boils over if not done slowly and a little at a time) Continue to cook until the mixture boils. Remove from the heat and add the butter and allow it to melt. Stir well.

The butter gives the lemon filling a glossy look and a great taste. Pour lemon filling into a bowl to semi-set and cover with saran wrap (see pic) to prevent a skim from forming on the top of the lemon filling.

Pour the semi-cooled lemon filling into a blind-baked pie shell (see pic below)
Allow to set in the fridge. Don't forget to cover the filling with plastic wrap before going into the fridge.

line the pie plate with pastry and weigh it down for baking.
You see above that I used parchment paper over the pie dough,
and a wire rack, then a heavy glass loaf pan to ensure that the pastry doesn't puff up while baking

.  

Top with meringue and grill in a hot oven for 2 minutes to slightly brown the meringue tips. I find this recipe from Better Homes & Garden is a great demonstration on how to make meringue.  Please follow this link.  Ingredients:  egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and sugar.

Perfect blind baked pie shell