I’ve been making lemon meringue pie since my days as Miss Betty Crocker in high school. I finally have it right. Here is the recipe.
Use a refrigerated crust or make your own. I’m feeling lazy, so premade it is! Bake the crust blind. What? Put the crust in the pie pan, crimp the edges, then put a sheet of parchment or waxed paper over it. Cover the bottom and sides. Fill the crust with pie beans (dried beans you don’t plan to eat) or pie weights. Then bake at 375F – 400F degrees for about 15 minutes. Pay close attention here. Do not get distracted. You don’t want to completely bake the crust, because it will bake a little more when you brown the meringue, but you do want it to be golden brown. Let cool a little, then lift out the paper with the beans/weights and put them away for another day. Throw away the paper.
Get 5 large, extra-large or jumbo eggs (I like jumbo but use what I have). I have a 9 inch pan and a 10 inch pan, so I use the smaller amounts for the smaller pan. You will also need sugar, cornstarch, lemons, butter, cream of tartar, salt, water, and either a strong arm or a mixer.
Separate the eggs very carefully. You don’t want any of the yolk to get into the whites. Put the yolks in a medium-sized bowl, and the whites in the very, very clean mixer bowl. Use large eggs for the smaller pie, and use one more or larger sized eggs for the larger pie. Using a fork or a whisk, beat the egg yolks until they are very yellow and look like you might be making scrambled eggs. Put to one side near the stove until you are ready for them.
Take a nonreactive saucepan and put in 1 cup of sugar. If you like your pie more sweet than tart, add another tablespoon of sugar or limit the grated lemon peel. If you are using the larger pan, add 1/4 cup more sugar. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice (maybe a tablespoon more for a bigger pie) and about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest (grated peel). Add about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of water and about 1/3 cup cornstarch. Level off your cornstarch unless you are using the larger pie pan. For the larger pan, use about 1/2 cup cornstarch. Add a tiny dash of salt if you want to.
Put the saucepan with the lemon juice mixture on medium-low heat and do not step away from the stove. Whisk or stir as it begins to cook. Let it come to a simmer, It will not look like the finished filling. It will be pale white and thin-ish. Remove from the heat. Then take a spoonful of the hot lemon mixture and stir it into the bowl with the egg yolks. Stir constantly and slowly. You don’t want scrambled eggs, you want to warm up the eggs gradually so they don’t curdle when you add them to the hot mixture. Add another spoonful and keep stirring. Add a bit more and stir that. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the hot lemon mixture and gently stir until the egg is completely incorporated. It should now be yellow.
Put the saucepan back on the heat, turn it up to medium, and cook for a few minutes, perhaps 5 or so. The mixture should come to a boil and be thick. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, about 2 tablespoons or so. Let it cool for perhaps 5 minutes, then spread it in the baked pie crust. The pie pan should be about half full.
Make the meringue. Use the whisk attachment. Turn on the mixer and sprinkle in the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. Some people use salt, but I have high blood pressure so I avoid it when I can. I like to add the cream of tartar first, then as the whites start being mixed, add 1/2 cup sugar a tablespoon at a time. Whip until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue over the warm filling. You want the filling to be warm (but not hot) so the meringue will stick to the filling. Cover the filling so that the meringue touches the crust on the whole pie. Use the back of a spoon to make pretty swirls and peaks. If you don’t, you will have those little amber beads which some people think are cute but are really a sign of a poorly made pie.
Turn the oven on to 400 if it isn’t already on. Or you can use your broiler, but that is much riskier. Bake the pie until the meringue is brown, perhaps 15 minutes, or put it under the broiler and do not leave the kitchen. You want your pie to be browned on the peaks and lightly tanned in the valleys. Remove from the oven and let sit out for maybe an hour, then refrigerate until completely chilled before trying to cut it.
This is a lot of work and the end result is worth every minute. Enjoy.