Makes 1 9" Pie
CRUST:
Ready 1 cup sifted flour
Ready 1/2 tsp salt
Ready 1/3 cup shortening, PLUS 1tbsp extra if hydrogenated vegetable
shortening
Ready 1 sheet of wax paper with flour on it
1) Add flour, salt and shortening to a bowl
2) Mix it all with hands until it has a pea-like substance
3) Add 2tbsp water, mix well until it can be balled up
4) Press ball of dough into wax paper, roll it out with a rolling pin
until desired thickness is achieved.
5) Put pie tin on top of the dough, rim down, and flip it over. Press
pie crust into desired shape.
6) Poke fork holes along pie to keep it from crumbling in oven.
7) Cook at 450% for 7 - 8 minutes. Watch for it to just turn slightly brown.
-- set aside and work on filling now --
PIE FILLING:
1) Zest some lemons and set aside the zest part
2) Ready 4tbsp lemon juice in a cup and set aside
3) Ready 3 tbsp butter and set aside
4) Separate 3 egg whites from the yolks. Whites go in one cup, yolks in
another, shells in the trash.
--NOTE: There can NOT be ANYTHING in the whites. Egg white ONLY,
and in a CLEAN
-- dish, or the whites will never properly rise into meringue.
5) Ready 5 tbsp of sugar in a cup and set aside.
6) Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/3 cup cornstarch into a saucepan and mix a
bit with a wooden spoon.
7) Stir the cornstarch and sugar while adding 1 1/2 cups of HOT water
8) Cook this mix over moderate heat, -stirring constantly- until the
mixture begins to thicken and boil.
9) Boil for ONE minute (time it) and then beat a spoon full of the
mixture, FAST, into the egg yolks.
10) Then beat the egg yolks FAST into the saucepan mixture. MUST be fast
or they will cook the eggs.
11) Boil for one more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat,
then continue stirring until smooth.
12) Blend in the butter, the lemon juice and the lemon zest.
13) Pour into pie crust!
MERINGUE TOPPING
1) Add the 3 egg whites into a mixing bowl with 1/4 tsp of Cream of
Tartar powder.
2) Beat on HIGH speed until very smooth, velvety and ripples appear.
3) Gradually add sugar, while beating, from sugar bowl until satiny
texture is achieved.
4) Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla and beat until aluminum sheen is achieved
5) Spoon onto pies, texturing as needed. Make SURE to cover to the edge
of the crust!
6) Bake at 400 degrees for about 5 - 8 minutes. WATCH IT. DO NOT LEAVE
IT. This is a bad time to ruin the pie