My Grandma had a couple of recipes that were just incredible. Most people who knew my Grandma knew her lemon pie. It was legendary…and surprisingly simple. I have never been a big lemon pie fan, partly because nobody can ever make lemon pie like my Grandma could. She had a lemon tree in her backyard that had lemons on it nearly year round. I’m sure that helped make her pies so incredibly delicious. Of course, the other thing that made them delicious was her love!
Nell’s Lemon Meringue Pie
Filling:
- 1 c. sugar
- 3 T. cornstarch
- 2 T. flour
- 1/4 t. salt
- Grated rind of one lemon
- 2 c. boiling water
- 3 egg yolks
- 6 T. fresh lemon juice
- 1 T. butter
- 1/2 t. vanilla
Meringue:
- 3 egg whites used for meringue
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 t. vanilla
Mix first 4 ingredients. (Grandma’s handwritten recipe has that word spelled “ingredience.”) Beat egg yolks and add lemon juice and grated peel. Add 2 c. boiling water to the flour and sugar mixture slowly and cook in saucepan over medium heat until thickened. Add lemon juice mixture. Cook 2 minutes longer until thick. Add butter and 1/2 t. vanilla. Let cool.
Pour lemon filling into baked pie shell. Cover with meringue made by beating 3 egg whites, and adding 1/3 c. sugar and 1 t. vanilla.
Bake in 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn this meringue.
This pie is one of those tastes that takes me back to childhood. Meringue seemed like such a magical, fluffy thing on an otherwise adult dessert. Aw, man. I miss my Grandma.
Barb
Lemon pie is my favorite. I miss my grandma too. She never made me lemon pie though.
I miss your grandma too and my mouth waters with memories of her pie.
One comment about the ingredience (maybe her spelling was right???) is that the lemon juice she used was not from a standard lemon. The tree in their back yard was a Meyer lemon tree which is a cross between a lemon and an orange tree. Theirs was the best. Love, Aunt Joan
YOu’re right, I should have mentioned that. Dave grew up with Meyer lemons in his backyard too. In fact, for years, I always had Meyer lemons in my fridge that came from either Grandma’s backyard or Dave’s folks’ yard. They are wonderful lemons!
Like your grandmother, mine was a great-aunt. Her lemon meringue pie was better than any other I’ve ever eaten… and I, too, don’t even bother trying very often. And I love just about anything lemon.
I don’t have many photos of myself as a kid, but I do have one of me at about 10, in my great-aunt’s back yard (in Culver City, CA) — wearing shorts, barefoot, standing in front of the lemon tree!
Since I have a very generous Meyer lemon tree in my yard, I’ll try your recipe. It will give me a chance to remember her…Thanks.
Isn’t it amazing, how strongly evocative flavors from childhood can be? Thanks for visiting!
Barb