Foodies Over 50

LEMON PIE

By Linda Vernon

~~~"So the pie isn't perfect? Cut it into wedges. Stay in control, and never panic."~~~

~~~Martha Stewart

My sister is almost a decade older than I am. That means by the time I had my legs under me and a functioning presence in our home, she was in the throes of adolescence, which—as all of you know—is proof that animals are right when they eat their young. She was studying home economics, an elective that was required curriculum for all girls, when Lemon Pie became the bane of our existence.

JoAnn dove into Home Ec the same way she did everything: full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes, because she was going to be at the top of the class. She learned to sew like a New York City tailor, making clothing for everyone in our house except Daddy and the cat. She learned recipe planning, budgeting, and child care. She also learned to cook.

Lemon Pie took a while.

Sis was determined to make a perfect pie, so our kitchen became a test center for crust, filling, and meringue. For weeks, probably a school quarter, maybe a semester, we ate lemon pie. And God forbid we hurt my sister’s feelings. Ever the perfectionist, she could be found, any night of the week and all day on Saturday, weeping over bubbling crusts or whispering incantations to simmering filling that was, by turns, too thin, too thick, or burnt. Her determination went far beyond striving for a grade; this was a quest!

And we were her taste testers, quickly learning the futility of excuses like, “I’m full, I’m sick,” or, heaven help us, “I DON’T WANT ANY OF THAT. IT LOOKS HORRIBLE.” To this day, mention lemon pie to my big brother Bill and his lips curl, his chin quivers, and he gets the look of a man remembering a very long, painful journey. I don’t think he’s eaten a bite of that dessert in forty years. His stint as a prisoner in the Lemon Pie Gulag was enough to put him off it forever.

But it remains a favorite of mine to this day. So, here’s my best recipe for it. Making this pie takes a little time, but it’s worth it. It’s cobbled together from several sources, including my sister.

Enjoy! And for the love of all that’s holy—when I say butter, use butter.

LINDA’S BEST-EVER LEMON PIE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake and cool 1 nine-inch pie crust.

For meringue stabilizer:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup boiling water

For filling:

1 1/3 cups sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups cold water

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons butter

For meringue:

3 egg whites

7 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pinch salt

Start by making the meringue stabilizer: 

Mix the tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of water together. Add to boiling water in small saucepan on stove. Stir constantly, reduce heat and cook until clear, a minute or so. Mixture will be very thick. Scrape into small prep bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Filling:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or double boiler, mix sugar and cornstarch together. Add the two cups cold water. Set aside.

Separate eggs, placing whites in stand-mixer bowl. Set aside.

Whisk yolks and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add to the cornstarch mixture whisking constantly until well-blended. Cook mixture on medium heat, continuing to stir until mixture thickens, which takes 6 or 7 minutes. Do not overboil mixture or it will not set properly. Be careful not to scorch!

Remove from heat. Add lemon extract, butter and vinegar. Stir thoroughly. Pour into cooled pie shell. Set aside to make meringue.

Meringue:

With stand mixer on high, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in sugar until mixture is stiff but not dry-looking. Turn mixer to low, add pinch of salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in cold stabilizer.

Turn mixer to high again. Beat well. Spread/pile meringue onto cooled filling, spreading to seal to crust all around. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Allow to cool before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.