Lemon Meringue Pie
by Setsko

Ingredients:

Pie Crust
1 cup unbleached flour
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. shortening
¼ cup cold water

Meringue
The peel of 1 lemon
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup corn starch
A pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups water
5 egg yolks
1 Tbsp butter
¼ cup sugar

Preparing the Piecrust
Mix one cup unbleached flour with ¼ tsp. salt. Cut in 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. shortening (you may use your fingers) until the lumps are no larger than a pea (this only takes a few seconds). Add cold water (about ¼ cup) while mixing with a fork until the mixture sticks to itself. Gather into a ball and roll out slightly larger than your pie pan. Prick the crust all over with a fork and backe it in a 400°F oven until golden brown. Let cool.

Preparing the Meringue Filling
Grate the peel from 1 lemon. Squeeze the lemon to make ¼ cup juice. Set the peel & juice aside. In a small saucepan add 1/3 cup cornstarch, a pinch of salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 ½ cups water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened and is boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Now separate 5 eggs and beat the yolks only. Add some of the cornstarch mixture to the beaten yolks and put them back with the rest of the cornstarch mixture. Return to the heat stirring constantly for about 10 seconds. DO NOT boil the mixture or it will curdle. Gradually stir in the lemon juice and peel & 1 Tbsp of butter. Pour into the cooled pie crust, let cool for 10 minutes. In the meantime, whip the egg whites with ¼ cup sugar until stiff.

Assembling the Pie
Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a spatula, spread the filling to the edges of the crust then top with the meringue. Swirl the top with a rubber spatula and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!