Lemon Meringue Pie

Joy tells me that if I'm going to bother making a fresh lemon or lime pie, I should use fresh juice and grate the zest. So true, I found, after baking a drama queen of a pie, lemon meringue (p. 687). I had to bake one from scratch after I learned my husband had NEVER tasted lemon meringue.

I've never baked one from scratch and after doing so, I'm not sure why anyone bothers with the shortcuts or those horrid prepackaged pies, with their fake yellow insides. It's not that hard, and the results: WOW. Buttery crust, tart filling, sweet mounds of meringue. I used the Deluxe Butter Pie Dough (p. 665) and Soft Meringue Topping No. I (p. 798).

Probably the most difficult step was the dough, which wasn't that difficult. The filling took a few minutes to heat and stir on the stove top. The meringue I chose calls for the addition of a paste, made on the stove top with corn starch and water, that keeps the meringue firm in the fridge. I thought the extra step was worth trouble if you don't plan to eat the whole pie in one sitting.

One word of warning: Don't get impatient and try to eat this pie before it cools completely. The filling doesn't set until its cool. Plus it's worth the wait. My husband said it tasted the best cool from the fridge.