Lemon Meringue Pie

Here in the States, it's Labor Day...so Happy Labor Day everybody!!  And what do I do on holiday when I'm off from work?  Yes, I cook :) 

My little girl brought home a book from her school library about Amelia Bedelia.  As my mom was reading this book out loud to my 2 kiddos, she read about all the things Amelia Bedelia does wrong...but the one thing she does right is make a fabulous lemon meringue pie....and I thought, it's been forever since I made a homemade lemon meringue pie!!

So here it is!  I make mine with a graham cracker crust.  If you are Gluten Free, they sell graham cracker crust mix in a box so you can make a Gluten Free pie shell!  Kinnikinnick makes a great one!

For all you non-gluten free folks, if you want to make your own graham cracker pie crust...I have a good recipe for you below or you can buy a premade graham cracker crust pie shell.

This one takes a little bit of time and is in the medium range of difficulty.  See below for the recipe and I hope you enjoy it!!

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust (This one is not Gluten Free):

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 8 whole crackers)
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooked
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon Filling:

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

Meringue:

• 5 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Place oven rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 F.

For the graham cracker crust:

1. Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and mix well.  Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch metal or ceramic pie plate and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Lemon Filling:

1. Combine cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and lemon juice in a medium-size heavy saucepan.  Add water and whisk until blended; use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan to make sure mixture is well combined.

2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, add butter and lemon zest and stir vigorously until butter is completely melted and ingredients are thoroughly combined.

3. Pour mixture into graham-cracker crust, cover with a round of waxed paper or parchment paper, and let cool to room temperature.

For the Meringue:

1. Combine egg whites and salt in a large, clean bowl and whip with a hand mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

2.Remove the paper from the pie, and spoon meringue over lemon filling.  Spread meringue with a spatula so that it covers the entire surface of the pie, sealing in the filling.  Be sure meringue meets the crust, otherwise it will shrink inward, exposing filling.

3.  Bake until meringue is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature on wire rack, the refrigerate until filling is cold, at least 4 hours.  Slice and serve chilled.  Store in refrigerator.