Recipes - Desserts

Lemon Meringue Pie

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup superfine sugar

One 9-inch pre-baked pie shell

1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 º F .
2. For the filling, place the egg yolks in a small bowl. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the Lemon Chiffon Soy Smoothie, and the zest. Set the pot over medium heat, and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook, whisking constantly, until steam rises from the mixture, 3-5 minutes. Pour one-quarter of the hot liquid into the egg yolks, whisking vigorously so the eggs do not cook. Whisk this mixture back into the pot. Add the lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon and does not run at the edges of a line drawn with your fingertip down the back of the spoon, 2-3 minutes in the pot. Take care not to let the mixture boil, or the eggs will curdle. Immediately pour the filling into a bowl. Whisk in the butter until it melts. Set the filling aside to cool slightly.
3. For the meringue, place the egg whites in an immaculately clean bowl. Using an electric mixer and freshly washed beaters, beat the whites on slow speed until they are foamy. Beat in the cream of tartar and the salt into the white. Increasing the speed to high, beat until the egg whites form soft peaks. One tablespoon at a time, beat in the sugar, mixing for 15 seconds before adding the next tablespoon. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy and forms stiff peaks, up to 5 minutes. It should resemble marshmallow fluff.
4. Spread the warm filling in the baked pie shell. Heap the meringue on top of the filling. Using a rubber spatula, spread the meringue out to the edge of the crust, keeping it piled highest in the center of the pie. Make sure the meringue touches the fluted edge of the crust, sealing the filling underneath. If desired, use the back of a soup spoon to swirl and lift the meringue, making peaks.
5. Bake until the meringue is golden brown, with dark brown peaks, about 15 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack to room temperature before serving.

This pie is best made the day it will be served, to avoid the egg whites “weeping” where the pie filling and topping meet. This pie can keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator. To store, cover the pie, tented loosely with foil coated with cooking spray on the side facing the meringue to avoid sticking.