Host An Unforgettable Book Club Party

This was my first attempt at making  a lemon meringue pie and I never realized how easy it was.  In What Alice Forgot, they used construction equipment to make the world’s largest lemon meringue pie.  I decided to go in the opposite direction and make mini lemon meringue pies.  I wanted to use all the egg whites so there is a lot of meringue left over with this recipe. You can use it to make Annie’s Angel Kisses Recipe.

I searched the internet for tips on how to make the best lemon meringue pie and here are a few tidbits that I learned:

• More Than Burnt Toast:  Use a cornstarch paste to stabilize your meringues and prevent them from weeping and suffering separation anxiety.
• Joy of Baking:  Another way to prevent weeping is to be sure the lemon filling is hot when spreading on the unbaked meringue.   Also, do not over whip the egg whites and press down the meringue to remove any air pockets.
• Real Baking With Rose:  The lemon juice is best added AFTER thickening as the acidity can prevent the cornstarch from doing its job.

Inspired by What Alice Forgot

Prep:  25 minutes   Cook time: 10 minutes   Serves:  8

Ingredients

• 8 mini pie crusts

Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Juice and zest from 3 medium lemons
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 5 large egg yolks

Meringue

• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Thaw and bake the pie crusts according to package instructions.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F.
3. Combine sugar, salt and 1 cup water in a heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until smooth.  Gradually whisk into the boiling mixture.  Stir constantly and boil until very thick.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon rind and butter.
4. Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together.  Whisk in about 1 cup of the hot mixture, then add back to the pan and simmer while whisking for about 2-3 minutes.   Cover with wax paper to keep hot.
5. Meringue:  Place the egg whites in a large bowl, and beat until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Using a spoon, place dollops of the meringue over the entire surface of the hot lemon filling, starting at the outer edge and coming right up to the crust.  With the back of the spoon, gently press down on the meringue to get rid of any air pockets.   Use the tip of a knife to make decorative peaks.
7. Bake for 10 minutes until meringue is lightly browned.  Let set at least one hour before serving.

Angel Kisses Cookies made with leftover meringue, chocolate chips and nuts: