Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie

Karen Kaiser of Columbia, Md., was looking for a recipe for a lemon meringue pie similar to one she liked very much and lost. It came from a summertime issue of a popular women's magazine in the 1970s. The pie was made from scratch and was on the tart side.

Gloria Trainor of Knoxville, Tenn., sent in a pie recipe from the September 1972 issue of Family Circle magazine. She thought it might be the one that Kaiser was looking for.

The recipe suggests using a piecrust mix. If you are a purist, you can make the crust from scratch; but, to save time, I opted to use the Pillsbury refrigerator crust, which I prefer to crust made from a mix. This pie has a smooth, fresh-lemon flavor with a cloudlike meringue topping and just the right balance of tart to sweet.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Makes 6 servings

1/2 package piecrust mix or one 9-inch refrigerator piecrust

Filling:

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups water

4 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar (for meringue)

1. Prepare piecrust. Fit into an 8-inch pie plate and bake in a 450-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown; cool.

2. Combine 1 1/3 cups sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium-sized saucepan; gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to boil and is thickened. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.

3. Beat egg yolks slightly in a small bowl; slowly blend in 1/2 cup of hot cornstarch mixture, then slowly pour back into remaining mixture in saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes; remove from heat. (Do not overcook.) Stir in butter or margarine, lemon rind and lemon juice; pour into cooled pastry shell. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.

4. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy-white and doubled in volume; gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until all the sugar dissolves completely and meringue stands in firm peaks.

5. Using a pastry bag with a large notched tip or a spoon, form meringue into 10 to 12 large puffs on a greased and floured or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until peaks turn golden. Cool on a baking sheet. When puffs are cool, carefully place them on the cold pie with a small spatula. Serve.

Per slice: 478 calories, 6 grams protein, 15 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 85 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 151 milligrams cholesterol, 265 milligrams sodium