This is my Aunt Norsey’s Recipe that I have now been making for years thanks to her excellent coaching.  The pie is a bit of effort (I can’t lie), but the taste is a unique combination for lemon meringue pie that is worth experiencing.   Please post any questions or comments.  I tried to elaborate as much as possible for each major step.

Norsey’s Lemon Meringue Pie – Last Updated 10/5/2014

Use 10 inch high sided pie plate

Lemon Meringue Crust Ingredients

• 8 Egg Whites *
  • Make sure eggs are room temperature before starting and no shells
  • Have a few extra on hand if an egg does not separate properly
• Pinch of Salt
• Half of Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 2 Cups of Sugar
• Butter (for buttering pie plate)

Lemon Meringue Crust Preparation

Preheat oven to 275

• Using whisk beater, beat eggs whites alone (around 3 minutes) with a pinch of salt and cream of tarter until approaching “stiff peaks.” (moving speed up gradually to level 6 on kitchen-aid mixer).
• Add 2 cups of sugar to egg whites, a little at a time and continue beating until mixture is glossy and sugar is dissolved . Beat this stage at least 4-5 minutes moving from level 6 to 8 (medium high to high speed).
• Remove from mixer stand and spread meringue in a well buttered 10 inch pie plate with deep sides. Carry out the meringue out until the rim (but not over the edge). Should have an inch on bottom of plate and then on the sides create a high outside ring of meringue.   There will be a fair amount of meringue left over to bake cookies separately! See a suggested recipe at end.
• Lay pie pan on cookie sheet and bake the crust 275 heat for about 50 minutes or until very faint tinge has appeared. Crust should feel hard.
• Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Store shell in a cool place with clean dish towel over it.   Crust can sit overnight and rest of pie can be prepared early next day.  If so, just cover the egg yolks and place in fridge until ready to use.

Lemon Filling Ingredients

• 8 Egg Yolks
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• ½ Cup lemon juice (around 3 lemons)
• Rind of 2 lemons grated
• 2 pints of heavy cream (can do with only 3 cups if need be)
  • One pint for lemon filling below; other pint for whip-cream step
• 2 tsp unflavored gelatin (about 1 packet of Knox brand)

Lemon Filling Preparation

• Beat egg yolks until thick using flat mixer beater (up to a medium speed).
• Add sugar and lemon juice until blended. Remove bowl from mixer.
• Add rind by hand.
• Stir and cook in double boiler until the mixture thickens some. Use a whisk or spoon for this.   Want to do this over low to low/medium heat, not boiling. Usually takes around 10-20 minutes for mixture to become thick. Remove from stove.
• While mixture is heating above drop some ice cubes into cold water.   Measure a ¼ cup of ice cold water and add the gelatin as your lemon mixture is near completion on stove.
• Add gelatin water to cooked filling.
• Put mixture into fridge COVERED to cool for 60 minutes. At the same time put the bowl you are mixing the whip cream and the whisk beater in the fridge to get cold. Stir with whisk the lemon mixture when you remove from fridge. If too thick reheat some on stove. You do not want the mixture warm or watery before adding cream.
• Whip 2 cups heavy cream with whisk beater. Fold into cooled lemon filling . Fold in a quarter (1/4^th) at a time.
• Spoon into meringue crust.

Whip Cream Pie Topping: Ingredients and Preparation

• Whip second pint (or less if you want to go light on the whip cream). Add:
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 -2 teaspoons of sugar
  • Whip some more
• Spread whip cream around the edges of the pie and in the middle to decorate.
• Put pie in fridge overnight if possible.

Recommend waiting at least a few hours to add the whip cream and cut the pie. The more time in the fridge the better. Less than 3-4 hours, the pie will be difficult to cut.

* Separating Eggs

• Tip set out 2 bowls one to collect yolks, one to collect whites
• Crack and separate each egg white separately into third bowl and only add to whites bowl one at a time assuring no yolks or shells get into the egg white bowl.

8 egg whites and egg yolks separated (above)

Pictures for making the crust (below)

Texture of whites before adding sugar (above)

Texture of whites when finished and ready for pie plate (above)

Pie plate (above)

Meringue spread into pie plate.  Notice crust is a good inch plus above the center of the pie (above)

Sense of amount of leftover meringue (above)

Cooked crust (above). Notice tinge.

Pictures for making the lemon filling (below):

Grated lemon rind (above)

Mixture just set on double boiler on stove (above)

Texture of mixture after 15 minutes (above). Notice thicker consistency.

Texture of whip cream to be folded into lemon mixture (above)

Cooked lemon waiting for whip cream to be folded into it (above)

Filling with whip cream folded in (above)

Crust with filling added.  Now ready for fridge for a few hours (above)

Meringue Cookie Recipe

Preheat oven to 350, making sure the oven is nice and hot

Add chocolate chips to cookies if desired

Scoop leftover meringue on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Use a finger to push the meringue off the spoon

Turn off the oven

Place the cookies into the off oven and leave for 8-12 hours

Seal in a airtight container or zip lock bag

Uncooked (above)

Cooked (above).  Hard to see but cookies are now crisp.