Lemon Meringue Pie

So I finally made a Lemon Meringue Pie.  I will admit that Meringue has always intimated me a bit.  All that fluff...where does it come from?  That can't be easy.  To my great surprise...it was SUPER easy.  I searched for a recipe that sounded yummy....and they all were about the same.  Until....I found Mrs. Deen's recipe.  Paula's ( I like to think that we would be on a first name basis, if we really knew each other) recipe calls for fewer ingredients, and HELLO!!!!!!!!!  It is Paula Deen...so it cannot be bad. 


All you need is these 3 ingredients for the Lemon Pie portion.  And...a lemon.  I forgot to take a picture of the lemon.  :(



Mix them all up. The egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest and sweetened condensed milk.



Put them in your pie crust.  I made a graham cracker crust...then I bought one.  Keep reading...I will explain.



Then beat your egg white and your cream of tarter until soft peaks form...like this. 



Gradually beat in your sugar until stiff.



Spread over the lemon filling, sealing it to the edge.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.




Like this!!! 

Did you notice the different pie plates??  Or lack of a pie plate in the finished product picture?  I REALLY did make that one.  I made the yummy homemade crust pie and put it in the oven.  Then I got this great idea to put together my recently purchased IKEA set of drawers. 

I, of course, got very wrapped up in that project,( have you seen the amount of hardware that comes with one of these?) and did not hear the timer go off.  So, as I worked, I began to smell something wonderful baking. In all of my wisdom I attributed the yummy smell to my new Fabreeze Fall Collection candle. 

Then it hit me.  I didn't light the Fabreeze Fall Collection candle.  CRAP!!!!!!!!!!! I burned it.  Badly.  So badly I didn't want to take a picture.  I was wounded. 

So...I baked another one. That made me happy again. :) But with a store bought crust becuase I had run out of graham crackers.

The Recipe:

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 8 inch prebaked pie shell or crumb crust
3 egg yolkds
1 t grated lemon zest
1/2 c lemon juice
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed mik

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice and zest; blend in egg yolks.  Pour into cooled crust.

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tarter
1/4 c sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat egg whites with cream of tarter until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff.  Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen