weep not for me ..lemon meringue pie

Dorothy's Crust .. half recipe

• 2 1/2 c flour
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 pound lard
• 1 beaten egg. . .set aside about 1/2 to make scrambled eggs
• 2 teaspoons vinegar

*put the egg and vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup and fill to 1/2 cup.

1. Cut the lard into the flour, salt and baking powder.
2. Add the wet ingredients all at one time and stir. . .should be in a large bowl . .
3. Dump it onto the counter and shape it into a ball and combine it just until no flour is loose.
4. Divide it in half. . wrap it in plastic wrap and put 1/2 into the fridge for future use or make a double pie now.
5. To bake the pie. .the oven should be preheated to 400 F.
6. Roll the pie crust out to about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Put it into your pie plate and leave a little room on the edges to turn the crust over and flute a bit. No big deal here . . you can keep it really simple. .the filling tastes the same.
8. After the crust is in the pan, I take a double layer of foil and press it into the pan covering all the crust. . I make sure that it is in all the edges. press firmly. . but don't press so hard that the crust is mangled.
9. Bake for 1o minutes, turn heat down to 375 bake another 10 minutes, removed the foil and bake until golden brown .. about another 10 minutes. Don't burn it. .
10. Let the crust cool completely before adding the filling.

Lemon Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 3/4 cup water. . .mix into the sugar and cornstarch in a 6 cup glass measuring cup
• Add 5 beaten farm fresh egg yolks. . whites set aside in a large metal or glass bowl
• dash salt
• the lemon zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

1. I throw it all into the microwave and stir it every 2 minutes on high until it has come to a bubbly boil.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of soft butter.

While the filling is cooking. .

1. Beat your egg whites adding 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
2. add 1/3 cup of white sugar
3. add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
4. Beat the whites adding the sugar and cornstarch until the whites are glossy and thick.

As soon as the filling is done, pour it into the cooled pie shell, and immediately after add the egg whites on top making little mounds until it is all covered and touching the crust.

Put it back in the oven at 350 F until it is golden brown .. I did mine about 22 -25 minutes.

If you put your meringue on your lemon filling when it is hot. . .it will not weep.