Recipe: Crisco Classic Lemon Meringue Pie with Classic Crisco Pie

CRISCO CLASSIC LEMON MERINGUE PIE

1 (9-inch) single Classic Crisco Pie Crust (recipe follows)
MERINGUE:
1/2 cup sugar, divided use
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
3 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE FILLING:
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
3 large egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Prepare recipe for single crust pie. Roll out and place in 9-inch pie plate. Press to fit without stretching dough. Trim even with pie plate. Flute edges. Thoroughly prick bottom and sides with fork to prevent shrinking.

Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.

MERINGUE - STEP 1:
Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch and water in small saucepan. Stir until cornstarch dissolves Cook and stir on medium heat until mixture is clear. Cool while preparing filling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan. Gradually add water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir on medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir constantly 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Add about one third of hot mixture slowly to egg yolks. Mix well. Return mixture to saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon peel. Add lemon juice slowly. Mix well. Spoon into baked pie crust.

MERINGUE - STEP 2:
Beat egg whites and vanilla in small bowl of electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat well after each addition.

Add cooled cornstarch mixture gradually and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over lemon filling, covering completely and sealing to edge of crust.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until meringue is golden. Cool. Refrigerate.

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CLASSIC CRISCO PIE CRUST

FOR SINGLE CRUST:
1 1/3 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick well-chilled Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks OR 1/2 cup well-chilled Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening
3 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water

FOR DOUBLE CRUST:
2 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick well-chilled Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks OR 3/4 cup well-chilled Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening
4 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water

FOR DEEP DISH DOUBLE CRUST:
2 2/3 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick well-chilled Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks OR 1 cup well-chilled Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening
6 to 10 tablespoons ice cold water

Blend flour and salt in medium mixing bowl.

Cut chilled shortening into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut in chilled shortening cubes into flour mixture, using a pastry blender, in an up and down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.

Sprinkle half the maximum recommended amount of ice cold water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top, distributing moisture evenly into flour. Press chunks down to bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoon, until dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together.

TIP: Test dough for proper moistness by squeezing a marble-sized ball of dough in your hand. If it holds together firmly, do not add any additional water. If the dough crumbles, add more water by the tablespoonful, until dough is moist enough to form a smooth ball when pressed together.

Shape dough into a ball for single pie crust. Divide dough in two for double crust or double deep dish crust, one ball slightly larger than the other. Flatten ball(s) into 1/2-inch thick round disk(s).

TIP: For ease in rolling, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

Roll dough (larger ball of dough for double crust pie) from center outward with steady pressure on a lightly floured work surface (or between two sheets of wax or parchment paper) into a circle 2-inches wider than pie plate for the bottom crust. Transfer dough to pie plate by loosely rolling around rolling pin. Center the rolling pin over the pie plate, and then unroll, easing dough into pie plate.

FOR A SINGLE PIE CRUST:
Trim edges of dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold edge under. Flute dough as desired. Bake according to specific recipe directions.

FOR A DOUBLE PIE CRUST:
Roll larger disk for bottom crust, trimming edges of dough even with outer edge of pie plate. Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe directions. Roll out smaller dough disk. Transfer dough carefully onto filled pie. Trim edges of dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold top edge under bottom crust. Press edges together to seal and flute as desired. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to vent steam. Bake according to specific recipe directions.

TWO METHODS FOR PRE-BAKING PIE CRUSTS (CREAM PIES):
Pre-baking without weights: Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of unbaked pie dough with fork (50 times) to prevent it from blistering or rising. Bake crust in lower third of oven, at 425 degrees F, 16-20 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.

PRE-BAKING WITH WEIGHTS:
Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of unbaked pie dough with fork (50 times) to prevent it from blistering or rising. Chill or freeze for 30 minutes. Line pie dough snugly with foil or parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 5-10 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.

Source: The J.M. Smucker Company, 2007