Mile-High Lemon Pie

By pammons

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups cold water
• 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (save whites for meringue)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• baked 9-inch pie shell
• Meringue:
• 7 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Any good recipe for 9 inch pie crust

Preparation

Step 1

Filling:
Combine cornstarch, cake flour, salt and sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 2 cups of cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking continuously, and cook, continuing to whisk about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
Temper egg yolks by beating a small amount of hot mixture into the yolks; then add them to a hot mixture in pan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in a lemon rind. Add butter one piece at a time. Pour mixture into a large bowl and let cool. Pour filling into cooled pie shell and refrigerate, covered with aluminum foil, until firm, about 1 hour.

Meringue:
Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water; beat until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved. Remove bowl from heat and whip into stiff peaks.
Spread meringue over pie so that it touches crust all around. Broil until brown, about 2 minutes, watching constantly