It is Thanksgiving Eve, and as I began making my pies, I realized that I couldn't find my staple lemon meringue pie recipe, (my all time favorite pie...next to rhubarb) and that it wasn't on my blog.
So I frantically went to my cookbook cupboard and looked through everything -without avail.
To my catch all recipe drawer, nada.
Then my sister called and as we chatted, I began leafing through other cookbooks hoping to find something that would work in a pinch. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I spied the hot pink cover, with the black plastic binding roll. Grandma H's cookbook. Under my pasta maker and bucket of spools of thread. Of course!
Grandma had 7 children, who in turn also had very large families, and every Sunday, we'd head to grandma's house for family dinner, and many fond family memories have come from food around grandma's table. Later in her life, grandma became a caterer.
During the week leading up to Thanksgiving, grandma's garage would begin to fill with pies (a second refrigerator/freezer in the cold mountains). Her meringue tips always crested, and drops of sugar dew taunted me as I anxiously awaited grandma's lemon meringue pie.
My Thanksgiving just isn't complete without this pie
Sift and set aside
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour (sifted)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups boiling water
3 eggs - separated (save whites for meringue)
1.5 tsp grated lemon zest (rind)
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
Separate eggs and place well beaten yolks into a medium sized saucepan.
Beat in dry mixture of sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and boiling water and cook over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil and thickens.
Pour into a baked pie shell and allow to cool.
Meringue
Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry.
Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and slowly add 6 Tablespoons powdered sugar, adding one tablespoon at a time.
Whip thoroughly.
Spread over cooled lemon filling, taking care that meringue seals all of the edges of the crust.
Bake at 325* for 20 minutes.
Cool before serving, and keep refrigerated.
To my catch all recipe drawer, nada.
Then my sister called and as we chatted, I began leafing through other cookbooks hoping to find something that would work in a pinch. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I spied the hot pink cover, with the black plastic binding roll. Grandma H's cookbook. Under my pasta maker and bucket of spools of thread. Of course!
Grandma had 7 children, who in turn also had very large families, and every Sunday, we'd head to grandma's house for family dinner, and many fond family memories have come from food around grandma's table. Later in her life, grandma became a caterer.
During the week leading up to Thanksgiving, grandma's garage would begin to fill with pies (a second refrigerator/freezer in the cold mountains). Her meringue tips always crested, and drops of sugar dew taunted me as I anxiously awaited grandma's lemon meringue pie.
My Thanksgiving just isn't complete without this pie
Sift and set aside
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour (sifted)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups boiling water
3 eggs - separated (save whites for meringue)
1.5 tsp grated lemon zest (rind)
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
Separate eggs and place well beaten yolks into a medium sized saucepan.
Beat in dry mixture of sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and boiling water and cook over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil and thickens.
Pour into a baked pie shell and allow to cool.
Meringue
Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry.
Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and slowly add 6 Tablespoons powdered sugar, adding one tablespoon at a time.
Whip thoroughly.Spread over cooled lemon filling, taking care that meringue seals all of the edges of the crust.
Bake at 325* for 20 minutes.
Cool before serving, and keep refrigerated.
