Historically, lemon meringue pie and I have had a murky relationship. There was the time I made 2 pies for a family fish fry and neglected to add the lemon juice. Then, there was the time I mistakenly used baking soda rather than cornstarch; don’t even ask. I think the worst time happened when I made an incredible filling only to burn the meringue under the broiler. I begin to look at lemon pie as something to be conquered; when someone from work brought in an enormous bag of Meyer lemons, I knew there was only one thing I would make. Lemon pie. Now, you’ll notice I said lemon pie, rather than lemon meringue pie.
Let’s discuss meringue. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of meringue. Not wholly true, let me clarify. When there is meringue on anything, I scrape it off and eat whatever if underneath. I don’t like the taste or texture of meringue. However, I adore whipped cream, as does the husband, who shares my dislike for meringue. While the filling would be traditional, I would top the pie with whipped cream.
The filling – should I use the handwritten filling handed down from someone in the family (not even sure of the origin)? Or perhaps I could alter an existing recipe in one of my cookbooks, or even use one of the million lemon fillings I’d found via Google. I decided to use the family recipe, as I knew it to be tried and true, as well as quite delicious (if one remembered to add the key ingredient, i.e., lemon juice).
The filling is nicely tart and pairs well with the crisp crust and lightly sweetened whipped cream. My sister raises chickens, and I was fortunate enough to have a dozen of her eggs. The yolks are orange, which account for the deep color of the filling; otherwise, it’s not quite as yellow.
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Lemon Pie with Whipped Cream Printable recipe
1 prebaked 9″ pie crust
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Combine cornstarch, lemon juice, sugar, lemon zest, and egg yolks – beat together until well-mixed.
- Add water and bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick – about 4-5 minutes.
- Immediately pour into prebaked pie shell.
- Chill in the refrigerator until firm; top with whipped cream and serve immediately.
Whipped Cream
- Whip cream until soft peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Continue to beat until firm peaks form.
- Use immediately.
I love the looks of your pie, I’ll have to try it. I usually make my lemon cream pie around Christmas because that’s when my lemons are ripe and I have to use them or loose them…or the neighbors get them. 😀 I am not a fan of meringue anything…so I found a great lemon cream pie, and I don’t put it on my key lime pie either!
That pie would be a hit at our place! can almost taste it.
Rita
Lemon Meringue is a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m with you on the whipped cream over meringue but meringue just looks so pretty! Funny, I’ve never made a lemon anything pie – and I live in Florida! This year your lemon pie and a lemon meringue pie are going on the menu and in a family taste testing competition! Happy Valentine’s Day! 🙂
I was drawn to your blog by the farmers sink on your button. I love farmers sink, plug your recipe for your mergingue pie looks delicious. Can’t wait to give it a try.