Recipe: Lemon Icebox pie

Title: LEMON ICE BOX PIE
Categories: Desserts, Pies/pastry
Yield: 8 servings

1 Graham-snap pie crust
(see Below)

MMMMM--------------------------FILLING-------------------------------
2 Eggs, separated
3 Lemons, juice of, strained
14 oz Can sweetened condensed milk
2 ts Grated lemon peel
1 ts Vanilla
1/4 ts Cream of tartar
1/4 c Sugar

MMMMM---------------------GRAHAM-SNAP CRUST--------------------------
10 Gingersnaps, finely crushed
4 Graham crackers, finely
Crushed
1/4 c Butter, melted
2 tb Sugar
1 9 in pie pan

Pie crust

Preheat oven to 375.

Tip: Line a 9 inch pie pan with aluminum foil before pressing the
crumbs into the bottom.

Thoroughly combine the all ingredients. Evenly press the mixture
onto the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 4 - 5
minutes. Cool to room temperature. Then freeze for at least one
hour, or overnight would be better. When it is frozen solid, lift
the crust out, peel off the foil, and replace the crust in the pan.
Then continue putting the filling in.

For the Filling:

Preheat oven to 350.

Using electric mixer, beat the yolks for 10 minutes. Continue
beating on medium speed and slowly pour in the lemon juice. Add the
sweetened condensed milk and lemon peel and mix well. Pour into pie
shell and set aside.

In a clean bowl, beat the whites, vanilla and cream of tartar with an
electric mixer on medium until soft peaks form. Then beat on high
speed and gradually add the sugar. Stop when the sugar has dissolved
and the mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks.

Spoon over the top of the pie and bake in preheated oven until
meringue is golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, then chill
for at least four hours before serving.

_________________________________________________________
From: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/PLANTANSWERS/recipes/lemoniceboxpie.html

BEST-DAMN-LEMON-ICE-BOX-PIE-ON-EARTH RECIPE
by Carrie May Jones, CEO (Cooker Extra Ordinaire)

Three (3) eggs (room temperature)

One-half cup of lemon juice (fresh is best)
(Micro-waving for a minute or less produces more juice)

One teaspoon grated lemon rind - using the outside only with as little of the white inner flesh as possible (also referred to as zest) Grate lemon rind before micro-waving and/or juicing lemons

One can of condensed milk

Separate the eggs (MAKE SURE no yolk gets into the whites!). Beat the egg yolks well. Add lemon juice and grated rind.
Add milk. Mix well. Pour into a Graham cracker crust.

The next obvious step for a lemon ice box pie would be to make and apply the meringue. However, my boy and I have noticed that the meringue gets hard after several days in the refrigerator and we end up taking it off so we can get to the "goodie" part beneath. Besides, that meringue takes up a lot of valuable space which could be totally occupied by the "goodie" part so we instruct our cook to forget the meringue, double the goodie part (listed above) and bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes. If we want something on top, we will use some instant topping such as Cool Whip, Whipped Cream, Dream Whip, etc.

But for those of you who want that better-eat-it-quick-before-it-turns to-concrete meringue topping, here is the recipe:

For the meringue topping:

Three (3) egg whites from the above 3 separated eggs
One tablespoon water
A pinch of salt
One-fourth teaspoon cream of tartar
Five (5) tablespoons of sugar

The three (3) egg whites should be beaten in the large mixer bowl. Add one tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Beat on high until foamy and add one-fourth teaspoon cream of tartar. Beat until stiff. Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time (Mix well each addition) until 5 tablespoons have been added. Fold in one teaspoon of vanilla. Cover the top of the pi with meringue. Bake at 350 degrees F. until the top is a golden brown.

This recipe is courtesy of Miss Carrie May Jones of Somerville, Tennessee. She is a good friend of the Parsons' family and is a retired Home Demonstration Agent for the Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1940 with a B.S. in Home Management. She taught Home Economics in Friendship, Tennessee for 10-15 years, was Home Demonstration Agent in Dresden (Weakley County), Tennessee, for two years, and then finished her career as a Home Demonstration Agent in Somerville (Fayette County), Tennessee, from October 16, 1964 until March 31, 1985. She began a treasured friendship with the Parsons' family when she baked the refreshments for a bridal shower for Carolyn Tapp who became Mrs. Jerry Parsons on December 18, 1966. She and Jerry Parsons have collaborated on many of the recipes on PLANTanswers and we thank her for her guidance and cooking-recipe translations over the years.