Six Degrees of Supperation and Pie

Some girlfriends and I started a cooking blog, Six Degrees of Supperation, it has been really fun to try out new recipes, some of which have gone straight in the trash (wheat apple bread = brick = trash), but some have been a success. Jesse and I always have a laugh and the kitchen always gets dirty, but it is a fun adventure trying out new things. We have gotten some great recipes and good ideas from my fellow friends/bloggers as well. So go check it out, and make some meringue, while you’re at it.

P.S. after making this pie on Thursday, I made a chocolate meringue pie last night, but cheated and used instant chocolate pudding instead of making homemade chocolate pudding b/c I only had about 30 minutes to throw together a dessert. My husband was a fan, and Lane got it all over his shirt, so I think it was a success, even though I tried to rush it by putting it into the fridge much too fast after it was done baking.

Jesse and I joined an organic fruit and vegetable co-op a couple of months ago. We have gotten some really wonderful lemons with our last several pick-ups. They smell heavenly, and we have been using them with everything we can think of. I love the tartness of lemons, and have been craving lemon curd. It’s random, I know. My mom loves tart things too, so for Mother’s day, to satisfy my own craving, and the one my mom didn’t know she had, I made a Lemon Meringue Pie. It was yummy, my husband even really enjoyed it and he isn’t a big lemon pie fan.

Lemon Curd – Filling

1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (~ 8 smallish lemons)
zest of 3 lemons
10 egg yolks (reserve 5 egg whites for meringue)

1. Add 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a wide saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

2. In your stand mixer (a hand mixer would be fine as well) combine the 10 egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Slowly temper the boiling lemon juice mixture into the egg yolk mixture by having the mixer whisking on medium speed and dropping in the hot liquid one small ladle at a time. It’s important not to rush this process – you don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs (which I personally can not stand), therefore I probably went a little slower than necessary.

3. When fully combined, return the mixture to the wide saucepan and continue to cook and whisk as the mixture thickens. When the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture remove from the heat.

4. Optional: Using a cheesecloth (or other gadget) strain the curd. I did not strain my curd, the lemon zest, after it cooked did not bother me and I am fairly picky about texture. The lemon curd was just the right amount of tartness right after I cooked it, we were literally eating it out of the bowl, however, as the pie sat in the fridge, it got more and more tart. It still tasted wonderful when combined with the meringue, but I think the extreme tartness was the result of leaving the lemon zest in the curd, therefore next time, I will probably strain the curd.

You could also use the curd for parfaits, scone toppings, or for a number of other desserts.

Meringue

5 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
2 pinches cream of tarter

1. Put your egg whites in your mixer bowl with the whisk attachment and turn mixer on high. While mixing, add in sugar and cream of tarter. Leave the mixer on high until stiff peaks form.

Lemon Meringue Pie – Putting it all together

Pie Crust – I used Graham Cracker
Lemon Curd – Cooled
Meringue

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill the pie crust ¾ full with lemon curd. I reserved some of the lemon curd for future use, but you could use all of it in the pie. Cover lemon curd with a generous amount of meringue. In my opinion, the more the better. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until top of pie is browned.

Cool pie on countertop for 15 – 20 minutes, and then refrigerate until chilled.

Difficulty: Medium (I recruited help in squeezing the lemons, if you have a stand mixer, the pie seemed fairly easy to make, especially since this was my first try at both the lemon curd and meringue, it might be a little more cumbersome with a hand mixer, but shouldn’t be any harder.)

Make Again: Definitely

Next Time: I will probably strain my lemon curd so it isn’t quite as tart.

Time: 30 minutes, then time to cool and chill.