Lemon Meringue Pie
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 9 graham crackers
- 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Make the sweetened condensed milk In a small saucepan, combine the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves.
- Cook over very low heat (the mixture should not bubble), stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Stir in the vanilla and scrape the sweetened condensed milk into a medium bowl.
- Meanwhile, make the graham cracker crust In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the brown sugar until fine crumbs form.
- Add the butter and pulse until incorporated.
- Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch glass pie plate to form a 1/2-inch-thick crust; use the bottom of a metal measuring cup to help form an even layer of crumbs.
- Refrigerate the crust for at least 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Bake the crust for about 12 minutes, until fragrant and browned.
- Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
- Make the lemon custard In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the sweetened condensed milk with the cornstarch until well blended.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.
- Cook over moderately low heat, whisking, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
- While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle half of the milk mixture into the egg yolks.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, whisking, until very thick, about 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the butter until smooth.
- Pour the custard into the crust and let cool to room temperature.
- Make the meringue Preheat the oven to 325.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil.
- Cook over moderate heat until the syrup reaches 243 on a candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form.
- With the machine on, slowly drizzle in the hot syrup and beat the meringue at medium-high speed until stiff and glossy, about 10 minutes.
- Scoop the meringue onto the pie, spreading and swirling it decoratively; make sure the meringue covers the filling completely and touches the crust all around.
- Bake the pie on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes Turn on the broiler; broil the meringue 6 inches from the heat until golden brown in spots, about 3 minutes (or use a blowtorch).
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Refrigerate until chilled, 3 hours.
milk, sugar, vanilla, graham crackers, lightly packed light brown sugar, unsalted butter, egg yolks, cornstarch, lemon zest, unsalted butter, sugar, water, egg whites, cream of tartar
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-meringue-pie (may not work)