Gina’s mom tells everyone before they start making her Lemon Meringue pie that the ingredients for the custard filling are cooked three times. It’s not a big deal. It’s not complicated. It’s just good to know at the outset because a prepared person is a successful person, a person whose pies will also turn out successfully; which lets you know why Gina turned out pretty well herself.

Ingredients for Custard Filling:

• 7 ½ tbs corn starch
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 eggs, separated
• 2 cups boiling water (or 1 ¾ cup water and ¼ cup lemon juice)
• zest of about 5 lemons
• ½ (or ¼) cup lemon juice
• ¼ tsp salt

Pie Crust:

Use Penelope’s Ultimate Pie Crust recipe.

Custard Filling:

Step 1: Combine the first three ingredients in a saucepan and cook directly over a burner, but at fairly low heat, stirring constantly (meaning don’t disappear and get involved folding laundry) until it boils (you can see bubbles). After the liquid starts bubbling, add in the lemon zest. But be careful; it can burn.Step 2: Transfer the mixture from the saucepan into a double boiler, and cook it on low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the mixture in the double boiler is cooking, in a separate bowl beat together the 5 egg yolks with the remaining lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt.Step 3: Heat the egg yolk mixture with some of the hot cornstarch mixture, then add this to the rest of the cornstarch mixture in the double boiler. Cook the combined ingredients for another 10 minutes or until steam comes off the mixture when you hold it up on a spoon. Use your judgment. (This is the hardest part of any endeavor, and never a sure thing no matter how many times you’ve done something. So don’t beat yourself up.)Pile the custard filling into the pie crust and refrigerate.

Meringue:

• 5 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 8-10 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Beat the egg whites with the sugar, cornstarch and cream of tartar until the mixture forms stiff peaks, and a ribbon egg white mixture falls from the beaters when you lift it from the bowl.

The Big Finish:

Take the pie crust with the meringue custard filling out of the refrigerator and spoon the meringue topping to cover it. You can spread it around decoratively, which is the fun part, or even pipe the meringue through a decorating tip.

The Cliff Hanger:

If you’re the adventurous type, or the ultra competent cook in no danger of burning down the house or melting said pie, when the pie is ready for its close-up, brown the tips of each peak with a butane lighter or put the pie in a pre-heated 275°-300° oven for some minutes until it subtly turns a light brown — or at least the peaks do. Watch this carefully to avoid having Lemon Meringue Broth. Gina’s mother can do the butane thing without a hitch, but if you’re not as Zen as Rita, you probably shouldn’t attempt it.Chill for a few hours (you, too). Make it the same day you’ll be serving it.(With love from Rita Friedlander, the go-to pie person in Sacramento.)