Lemon Filling

Meringue

1. Make pastry crust. In a food processor (or you can do this by hand) process flour, sugar, and salt to mix. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Turn mixture out into a bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over the mixture, stirring with a fork to mix evenly. Continue adding water until dough just begins to come together when you press a bit between your fingers; do not overwork the dough. Press to form a ball and knead lightly; press into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap at least 30 minutes (I was in a hurry and froze for 15 minutes) or up to 2 days. [Obvious shortcut: buy pie crust.]

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 or 13 inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch glass pie plate and press to fit. Roll the edges and crimp as desired. Prick holes all over the bottom and side with a fork. Press a piece of aluminum foil snugly into pie shell and fill with dry beans or rice. Bake for 12 minutes, remove foil + beans/rice, and bake 8 minutes longer, or until light golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

3. Make filling. Process sugar and lemon zest in a food processor until zest is finely ground. Whisk water, sugar mixture, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, and boil for 1 minute, until mixture is smooth and almost transparent; remove pan from heat. Whisk together egg yolks (when you separate the eggs, reserve 4 whites for the meringue in a bowl) and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup of hot cornstarch mixture to yolk mixture and whisk to blend. Return mixture to saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 1 minute, or until thick. Remove the pan from the heat, pour filling through a strainer into a bowl, and whisk in butter. Fill the cooled pie shell with the hot filling.

4. Make meringue. Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil, whisking constantly over high heat, and boil for 1 minute, continuing to whisk. Beat egg whites on medium speed in a clean bowl, just until foamy. Increase speed to medium-high, add the salt, and beat to form soft peaks. Pour in the cornstarch mixture while the beaters are running; continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.

5. Top the pie with the meringue mixture, using a rubber spatula to create a domed top. Make sure the meringue seals in the filling by connecting the meringue with the crust all around the pie. Form swirls in the meringue with a small spoon.

6. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until meringue is cooked through and golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack so filling can set.