Use fresh lemons to make this creamy magic lemon meringue pie with a real graham cracker crust. Cornstarch need not apply!
What’s the old saying? “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” I say, make Lemon Meringue Pie and Rose Lemonade with the leftover lemon juice.
When I was a child, my mother used to make this pie frequently, because it was simple, and always very, very good. I remember the first time I went to a coffee shop and got excited because they had Lemon Meringue pie, but, it was translucent and nasty. My mother’s was not made from cornstarch, my mother opened up a can and made magic!
A word about that magic can – that’s what makes this pie so good. My mother used Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and I used it for years, and I still use it when I want absolute perfection. In reality, your store’s brand will do just fine. It’s less expensive than the name brand. I use it for Magic Cookie Bars, Thai Iced Tea, and Cappuccino Fudge.
Please don’t buy one of those pre-made crusts. This recipe is so simple that you will not have any need to “save time”. If you have a food processor, then this whole process takes 10 minutes (including baking the pie!). If you don’t have a food processor, that’s fine, too. You can crush the graham crackers by putting them in a plastic bag (reusable, please), and pushing a rolling pin over them several times. That’s actually a fun activity for children, so let them have fun helping you in the kitchen. Either way you go, a graham cracker crust made from scratch is better than a store-bought one any day.
So, here are the two things I am making today, including the Rose Lemonade.
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Lemon Meringue Pie
Tips from the Chef
Equipment
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Ingredients
Filling
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 Lemon, Juice of
- 3 egg yolks
- Lemon zest, optional
- 1 drop yellow food coloring, (optional)
Topping
- 3 Egg Whites
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
- If you have not done so, prepare the graham crust.
Make the Filling
- Separate the eggs. Be sure no egg yolk gets in the whites because the whites will not whip if there is even a tiny bit of yolk. Watch the video.
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 Lemon, Lemon zest, 1 drop yellow food coloring, 3 Egg Whites, 3 egg yolksCombine milk with egg yolks and lemon juice and rind. Mix thoroughly.
- 1 Graham cracker crustPour into prepared graham cracker crust.
Make the Meringue
- 3 Egg WhitesBeat egg whites until foamy.
- 2 tablespoons SugarGradually add sugar, and beat until soft peaks form. Do not let the stiff peaks form because it will be harder to spread.
- Spoon the meringue over top of the pie, making sure all edges are secure, then make peaks with the back of the spoon. Alternatively, you can use a piping bag.
- Bake at 350 about 10 minutes or until the peaks are lightly browned.
- Let stand and cool, then place in refrigerator and chill thoroughly before serving at least four hours.
