Lemon Meringue Pie by Buddy ValaUVUstro

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE, ENOUGH TO SERVE 10 TO 12

If you’re new to baking and looking to develop some baseline comfort, a lemon meringue pie is a good place to start because you don’t bake the filling in the pie. Instead, you make the crust, lemon curd filling, and meringue separately, then assemble them. So you only need to be able to successfully bake the crust to pull this off. The only other baking is a quick flash in the oven to caramelize the crystal sugar that we dust the meringue with at the end. (We originally used powdered sugar, but have changed it over the years.)

Because it was his wife’s favorite dessert, the late, great Carlo’s baker Sal Picinich used to say, “If you bring home lemon meringue pie, you get lucky!” I hear it also works well for getting a man out of the doghouse.

½ cup cornstarch1½  plus ⅓ cups water4 extra-large eggs, separated½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice2 cups granulated sugar1¼  teaspoons salt3 tablespoons unsalted butter2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zestDistilled white vinegar, for wiping the bowl1 Pie Crust (see below), blind baked1 tablespoon crystal sugar (optional)

1. Put the cornstarch and ⅓ cup water in a small bowl and stir them together.

2. Put the egg yolks and lemon juice in another bowl and whisk them together.

3. Put 1½ cups of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1½ cups water in a small, heavy saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue to whisk until the mixture becomes thick and clear, then whisk in the lemon-yolk mixture. Continue to whisk until the mixture boils and thickens, about 3 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon zest. Set aside.

5. Clean the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment with vinegar. (You can also use a hand mixer.) Add the egg whites and teaspoon salt and start whipping on low speed. Once the mixture becomes frothy, add the remaining ó cup sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form, gradually increasing the speed to high, about 5 minutes. If you add the sugar too early, it slows the peaks’ formation.

6. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

7. Transfer the lemon filling to the pie crust. Spread half the meringue over the top with a spatula.

8. Transfer the rest of the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with the #7 star tip or French tip and pipe the meringue on top.

9. If using, sprinkle the crystal sugar over the meringue.

10. Put the pie on a baking tray and finish in the oven just until the meringue is singed, about 12 minutes.

11. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool.

Serve at once, or cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Pie Crust

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE CRUST

There’s nothing wrong with buying a prepared pie crust, but it’s so easy to make your own that I urge you to do so whenever possible.

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring your work surface¾ cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)1 tablespoon sugar1 teaspoon fine sea salt7 tablespoons ice-cold water (see recipe step 1)

1. Put the flour, shortening, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Paddle at the lowest speed just until the mixture holds together, about 30 seconds. (You can use a hand mixer if you allow the shortening to soften at room temperature

before beginning.) Add 6 tablespoons water, and paddle until absorbed, about 30 seconds. If the dough seems dry or fails to come together, add the last tablespoon of water.

2. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

3. Lightly flour your work surface, and roll out the dough in a circle about 14 inches in diameter and about ¼ inch thick. Roll it up onto the rolling pin, and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, unspooling it over the top. Tap the pan gently on the work surface and the dough will fall into place. Put your hands at the 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock positions on the side of the pan, and rotate the pan from just under the lip to cause the excess dough to fall away. (If molded in an aluminum pie pan, the dough can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 months. Let thaw to room temperature before filling and baking.)

Note: If you are making this in the summer, use 6 tablespoons water to account for increased humidity affecting the moisture content of the flour