Recipes for Cook

Whether you are empty nesters, like us, or you only have a couple of people to cook for; "recipes for two" are great!! Not only do they eliminate the temptation for 2nd third helpings, but they are excellent for those times when you dont feel like eating the same full size dessert all week!! This recipe makes two perfect (single serving size) lemon meringue pies, one of picky-picky husbands favorites.
CRUST
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon  cold shortening (I use butter flavored)
1 tablespoon cold butter
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon cold water

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl; cut the cold shortening and butter into the dry ingredients until it is about "half of a pea" size. Stir in the cold water and mix into a ball (dont over work). Divide dough in half.

Any small oven proof dish will work for these little pies; I used my 10 ounce Pyrex custard cups.  Press the dough into the bottom and about half way up the sides of the custard cup. You can roll out the dough if you like, but I find it easier to just press the dough into place. Bake in preheated 425 oven for about 10 minutes or until light golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

LEMON FILLING
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with fork   (save the egg white)
2 tablespoons FRESH lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter

In a small, heavy bottom, saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt; whisk in the cold water,  until it is smooth.  Cook (stirring) on medium heat until thick and bubbly, then reduce heat and cook (and stir) for 2 minutes.

Slowly drizzle about half of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolk (whisking like crazy as you drizzle, so you dont get scrambled eggs). Once well whisked, put it all back into the saucepan and cook 2 more minutes at a gentle boil.

Remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice; mix thoroughly and pour into baked pie shells.

MERINGUE
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a GLASS bowl (never use plastic when whipping egg whites) and beaters that are totally free from any grease or oil; beat egg white and cream of tartar until you get soft peaks. Sprinkle in the vanilla and sugar (while the mixer is still running) and continue beating until you get stiff peaks.

Spread meringue onto hot filling. Put back into a preheated 350 oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the peaks of the meringue are golden.
After the meringue is cooked, let these little pies sit at room temperature for about an hour then chill them for at least 2 hours before serving. Once they are chilled, you can lift the pies out of their baking dish for a prettier presentation.

Lemon-meringue is a very popular kind of pie, but Ive noticed more crusts being sent back to the kitchen with this kind of pie than any other. People dont eat their pie-crusts for various reasons; too full, kind of dieting, dont actually like it all that much. Ive never felt that the crust was the best part of a lemon-meringue pie. It just doesnt seem as well integrated with the filling as it does with some pies.

With those considerations in view, I made some lemon-meringue pudding, which was exactly the same as lemon-meringue pie except without the actual pie part. Simpler, quicker, and I have to say I for one didnt miss that crust a bit. But if you want it, theres no reason why not.

One other advantage to not using a crust is that in fact I put in the juice of 1 1/2 lemons, instead of the juice of just one. It definitely made it a little softer and runnier. It would have been quite hard to cut it as a pie, but as a pudding in individual dishes there was no problem - just lots of really zingy deliciousness.

As ever when using the lemon zest, I look particularly hard for organic lemons. Either way be sure to give it a good scrub before proceeding.

People sometimes wonder what the heck cream of tartar is. Its an acidic sediment created in wine-making, and its perfectly harmless stuff. It just helps the egg whites hold those stiff bubbles.

6 servings
40 minutes for filling - 20 minutes prep time, not including making crust


Crust?
1 prepared single pie crust

(1/2 recipe of this or this for instance) but only if you want pie, and it needs to be pre-baked. Ten to fifteen minutes baking should do it. It can be warm or cool when the crust goes in, but cool is probably better for avoiding excessive sogginess.

Filling & Meringue:
3 tbsps corn starch
2/3 cup sugar
1 large lemon, zest & juice
3 eggs, separated
1 cup water
1 tbsp butter
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

In the top of a double boiler, beat together the cornstarch, 2/3 cup of sugar, and the finely grated zest and juice of the lemon. Separate the eggs and beat in the egg yolks, setting the whites aside in a mixing bowl. Slowly mix in the water, stirring constantly to keep the mixture very smooth. (You should not be heating the double boiler until after this is done.) Just drop in the butter. It will melt in as the filling cooks.

Now turn on the heat and cook until thick, stirring nearly constantly. An electric mixer is useful for this, but a whisk is fine too. Do not overcook the mixture; once it has thickened it should be removed from the heat promptly.

Pour the thickened filling into custard cups, or the baked crust if you are making a pie. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Wash and dry the beaters before using them again. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until fairly stiff. Beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Spread the meringue over the lemon filling, making sure it is attached right along the edges of the custard cups or pie plate - this will prevent it from shrinking away from them when baked.

Bake the puddings or pie at 300°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and chill before serving.