Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients

• 1 chilled 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Before you cook

• Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp a tall edge, and freeze it for thirty minutes.
• Zest and juice the lemons.
• Separate the eggs, putting five yolks in one bowl and four whites in a clean grease-free mixing bowl.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line the frozen shell with parchment, fill it with pie weights, and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Lift out the parchment and weights and bake 12 to 15 minutes more, until the whole shell is golden and dry.
4. Set the baked shell on a rack and lower the oven to 325 degrees.
5. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan off the heat.
6. Whisk in the water until no lumps remain.
7. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns thick, clear, and glossy and bubbles slowly, about 6 minutes.
8. Whisk about a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks in a thin stream to warm them.
9. Pour the warmed yolks back into the pan, whisking hard.
10. Cook for 2 minutes more, whisking without stopping, until the curd is very thick.
11. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter until the butter melts.
12. Pour the hot filling into the baked shell and smooth the surface.
13. Set the bowl of egg whites over a saucepan of barely simmering water and add the sugar and cream of tartar.
14. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves completely and the whites feel hot to the touch, about 4 minutes.
15. Take the bowl off the heat and beat the whites on high speed until they hold stiff, glossy peaks, about 4 minutes.
16. Beat in the vanilla.
17. Spoon the meringue over the hot filling and spread it so it touches the crust all the way around with no gaps.
18. Pull the meringue up into swirls and peaks with the back of the spoon.
19. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peaks are tipped with brown.
20. Cool the pie on a rack for two hours, then refrigerate it for two hours before slicing with a wet knife.