I developed this recipe because I love my grandmother’s lemon icebox pie but making it intimidates the crap out of me. She uses some sort of granny magic to make a delicious, sliceable pie out of condensed milk, egg yolks, and lemon juice without it being cooked. I’ve tried it before and it stayed a runny mess. :(
So I took a traditional corn starch lemon meringue pie recipe and combine it with a lemon icebox pie recipe to create a pie super close to my grandmother’s without having to worry if it will set or not. Obviously, I’m a genius.
Graham Cracker Crust
This recipe would also be super yummy with a traditional pie crush or a short bread crust. But my grandmother always used a cracker crust so I’m going with that!
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (~20 standard size graham crackers.)
¼ cup brown sugar
6 tbls melted butter
1. An easy way to crush your graham crackers is to just put them in a zip top bag and go to town on them with a rolling pin. To be safe actually, double bag it. That way if you are having an especially rough day and get a little out of hand your crumbs won’t explode all over the kitchen.
2. Combine your newly crushed crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and mix them together. Not too much but just until it comes together. It will look slightly dry, that is what you want.
3. Press it into a 9 inch pie pan and place it in the freezer while you start the rest of the pie.
Meringue
This meringue recipe is sufficient for the amount of meringue I like on my pies but if you want a very tall, dramatic meringue, go ahead and make a double batch.
4 eggs, separated (reserve yolks for the filling)
1 pinch cream of tartar
2 tbls sugar
1. Before you start whipping your egg whites make sure whatever bowl and whisk or mixer you are using is super clean. Also make sure there are no tiny bits of yolk in your whites. If your bowl is dirty or there is yolk in your whites they will never whip. Ever. At all.
2. Put your egg whites and cream of tartar in a CLEAN bowl. It is easiest to do this in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment but you can also do it with a hand mixer.
3. Beat whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add in sugar and continue beating until the peaks are stiff but not dry. You will know they are stiff when you dip the whisk in, pick it straight up, flip it over and the peaks do not flop over or move. This should take 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
Lemon Filling
A sweet filling with a velvety mouth feel and tangy after taste. Sooo delicious.
4 eggs, separated
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup + 2 tsp sugar (less if you prefer it a bit more tart)
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
3 tbls butter
½ cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1. Place egg yolks in a bowl and set aside.
2. Combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk them together vigorously because the corn starch will clump. Heat on medium and continue whisking, bringing the mixture to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. It will be very thick. Remove from heat.
3. Temper the eggs into this mixture. One whisk-ful at a time, add hot mixture to egg yolks and whisk quickly. The goal is to get the yolks up to temperature while not making them into scrambled eggs. Continue adding until the side of the bowl feels warm, roughly half the hot mixture should be added into the yolks. Add the yolks to the rest of the cornstarch mixture, also adding the condensed milk. Mix and return to the stove. Cook on low, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in butter, lemon juice, and zest until combined. Be careful because it will be very hot.
5. Grab your graham cracker crust from the freezer and pour your still hot mixture into it. While it is still hot top with the meringue. Make sure it goes all the way to the edge of the pan. You can even be all fancy and pipe it.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the meringue is nice and golden brown. Cool on the counter for 30-45 minutes and then put it in the fridge. This pie is best eaten cold so don’t even think about touching it for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!
I know this recipe looks like a lot but it is SO worth it! Once you break it down it is actually very simple, so try it out.
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blakekathryn