Tag: lemon+meringue

For any of you guys still living in denial…Valentine’s Day is all about the ring. Or at least something from a jewelry store. As Catherine Zeta Jones says, “Nothing says I love you like a great, big rock.” In case your TIVO has you in the dark about your local retailers, here’s a starter list:

1. Zales
2. The Jewelry Exchange
3. Sears (no kidding, some very nice things. Plus, double-door fridges as a fallback. Although, don’t expect a big night.)
4. Tiffany’s
5. Cartier
6. Bulgari

For more listings, get any Danielle Steele novel (at your grocery store now.) If you’re not ready to say I LOVE you, or if your bonus vanished in the mortgage meltdown, Strawberry Angel Pie is a sweet alternative.

The Meringue Crust

1. 4 egg whites
2. ½ tsp cream of tartar
3. pinch of salt
4. 1 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 275°

Butter a 9 inch glass pie plate

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt

Beat until the egg whites form soft peaks

Spread the egg whites over the bottom and sides of the pie dish, making the edge about an inch thick, and building it slightly above the rim of the dish

Bake until golden brown, about 1 ¼ hours (that seems like a lot, but it’s right, 1 ¼ hours)

Turn off the oven and let the crust cool completely in the oven with the door ajar; overnight is okay, too

The Filling

1. 1 cup heavy double cream
2. 1 cup lemon curd, chilled (recipe is here, too. But buy it; seriously, this is getting very work intensive)

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form

Gently fold in the lemon curd

Spread the mixture in the meringue shell

The Topping

1. 1 cup heavy double cream
2. 1 tbs sugar
3. 1 tbs nonfat dry milk (milk powder)
4. 8-10 whole strawberries

Combine the cream, sugar and dry milk in a bowl

Whip until stiff

Spread over the pie

Garnish with strawberries

The Lemon Curd

Read for fun; then go buy it.

1. 5 egg yolks
2. ½ cup sugar
3. ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
4. freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
5. 6 tbs unsalted butter

In a saucepan, combine egg yolks and sugar

Whisk vigorously for 1 minute

Add the lemon juice and zest, and whisk another minute

Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened (don’t let it get too hot or the yolks will scramble)

Remove from the heat and add the butter

Stir until smooth

Let cool, stirring occasionally

Transfer to a tightly capped jar and chill before assembling the tart)

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:

1. 7 ½ tbs corn starch
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 5 eggs, separated
4. 2 cups boiling water (or 1 ¾ cup water and ¼ cup lemon juice)
5. zest of about 5 lemons
6. ½ (or ¼) cup lemon juice
7. 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:

1. 5 egg whites
2. 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
3. 8-10 tbs sugar
4. 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.)