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Lemon: Lemon Meringue Pie*

Source of Recipe

Oxmoor House


List of Ingredients

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrust dough
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons light butter
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar



Recipe

Preheat oven to 450°.

Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges; flute. Pierce bottom and sides of dough with a fork. Place crust in freezer 10 minutes. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Reduce temperature to 325°.

To prepare filling, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar and cornstarch in a medium nonaluminum saucepan. Stir in water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until thick and bubbly (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk.

Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot cornstarch mixture into egg yolk, stirring constantly with a whisk; add to remaining cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and bubbly (about 1 minute), stirring constantly. Stir in butter and lemon rind. Pour mixture into prepared crust; cover surface with plastic wrap.

To prepare meringue, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. (Do not overbeat.)

Remove plastic wrap from filling; spread meringue evenly over filling, sealing to edge of crust. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes; cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.

NOTES: Why do all my lemon pies collect liquid between the filling and the crust, making the bottom crust soggy?
Posted on March 15, 2011 in Baking
I assume you are talking about a lemon meringue pie, in which case there are three key tricks to keeping it from weeping and prevent the crust from getting soggy.

1. Be sure to par bake the crust enough. When tapped, the crust should feel firm.

2. The lemon curd must be thick enough and—very importantly—fully cooled.

3. When you top the cooled curd with meringue, make sure the meringue touches the crust all around the outer edge: this acts as a seal and prevents air from getting in between the layers.