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Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food"


Recipe Introduction

"If you love billowy meringue, this is the pie for you. Fragrant Meyer lemons are becoming more widely available, so use them if they are around, although no one will turn down a slice of this pie if you use regular lemons. If pressed for time, store-bought graham cracker crust can be used."

List of Ingredients

◦  Softened butter, for the pie plate
◦  1 cup crushed graham crackers
◦  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
◦  2 tablespoons sugar
◦  8 large eggs
◦  2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
◦  ¼ cup cornstarch
◦  1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
◦  ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
◦  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
◦  Finely grated Meyer lemon zest, from 3 lemons


Recipe

To make the crust, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate.

In a medium bowl, stir the graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar together until moistened. Press firmly and evenly into the pie plate (the flat bottom of a measuring cup works well as an aid). Place the pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the crust looks and smells toasty, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.

In a bowl, beat three of the eggs until blended. Separate the remaining 5 eggs, adding the yolks to the beaten whole eggs and putting the whites in a separate large bowl.

Cover the whites and set aside at room temperature.
Beat the yolks into the beaten eggs. In another bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of the sugar and the cornstarch, then whisk in the beaten eggs, the lemon juice, and salt. Transfer to a heavy, non-reactive saucepan, place over medium heat, and heat until the mixture comes to a full boil, whisking almost constantly. Reduce the heat to low and let bubble for 30 seconds. Be careful not to undercook or overcook the filling or it will separate as it cools. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Strain through a coarse-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any bits of cooked egg white. Stir in the lemon zest, then pour into the baked crust (the crust can be warm or cool).

Using a handheld mixer on high speed, beat the reserved egg whites until soft peaks form. One tablespoon at a time, beat in the remaining ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until the egg whites become a meringue with stiff, shiny peaks. Using a spatula, spread the meringue evenly over the hot filling, making sure the meringue touches the crust on all sides (to prevent the meringue from shrinking). Swirl the meringue with the spatula to form peaks. Bake until the meringue is browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before serving, at least 3 hours.


Makes 8 servings