Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie (using concentrated lemon juice)

Lemon Meringue Pie
rec.food.cooking/Dan Day (1998)

Here's a recipe I've been making for over twenty years. Every holiday, family members insist I make another one (or two). And it's quite easy to make, for a pie.

Pastry:
1 1/3 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp cold water

Combine flour and salt; mix. Add softened butter, blending in with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Add water, tossing with a fork. Form into a ball (do *not* knead or over handle), use rolling pin to roll out into a circle. Lay into pie pan, flute edges, prick well with a fork.

Bake in 450 degree oven for approx. 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
5 1/2 tbsp flour (cake flour, if available)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk (2% doesn't work as well)
1/2 cup lemon juice (works best with reallemon brand)*
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1 tbsp butter

Combine sugar, flour, salt; mix well (this prevents lumps from forming when the liquid is added). Add milk, mix well again. *Slowly* add lemon juice, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Add vanilla, egg yolks, and butter. Place in top of double boiler, stirring very often until smooth (about seven minutes). Place top of double boiler in cold water in sink, wait until cool.

Note: Actually turns out *worse* with fresh lemon juice.

Meringue:
3 egg whites (room temperature)
3/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4+ cup sugar (use a heaping quarter cup, not level)

Add cream of tartar to egg whites in a mixing bowl, beat on high until frothy. Continue to whip while *slowly* adding sugar. Whip until firm peaks form.

Final:
Pour filling into pie crust.

Top with meringue, sealing to edges of crust.

Bake in 400 degree oven until browned (about 8-10 minutes).