When my dad was younger, my grandma made a clear lemon meringue pie. Through the years, he told my sister and me all about the pie. He didn’t have my grandma’s recipe so all he had was his memories of the pie.
Over the years, I searched for a similar recipe online, with no luck. And, I consulted with pastry chefs from around the world. Nobody could figure out how my grandma made the pie clear. After a lot of experimenting, I came up with this recipe. When I surprised my dad with my version of the pie, you could see in his eyes the memories rushing back to him.
Through time, my grandma’s exact recipe has been lost, but this recipe has a burst of lemon flavor and you can practically see through it. It’s a new take on an old family recipe.
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Clear Lemon Meringue Pie
This pie has a burst of lemon flavor with a clear, smooth filling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested
- 4 egg whites
- 6 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pastry crust, 9-inch, pre-baked
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To make the filling, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan.
- Stir in the water, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
- Remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into the baked pastry shell. Set aside.
- For the meringue, in a glass or metal bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and continue mixing until soft peaks form.
- Add 6 tablespoons of white sugar (1 tablespoon at a time), mixing between each tablespoon, until stiff peaks form.
- Add vanilla extract and whip until just mixed in.
- Spread the meringue over the pie filling, sealing the edges at the crust.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.
- After baking, cool the pie away from drafts for 2 hours.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator.