Pie For Breakfast

We had Brian's parents and his aunt and his grandpa over for dinner last night, and yesterday afternoon I asked the kids if we should make cupcakes for dessert. Alyssa asked for something lemony instead, so I looked up some lemon meringue pies on Allrecipes, and found the best lemon meringue pie ever! It is delicious. (By the way, I love cooking in my new kitchen. I love the counter space, and I love that it's open to the family room so I'm not cut off from the kids when I'm cooking.) The pie was so delicious that I'm having the last bit of it for breakfast this morning. (And by "the last bit" I mean two of the three small slices that were left from last night, and when Alyssa asked to have the third slice, I seriously considered saying, "No" to her so I could eat it myself.)

Brian's aunt also brought a beautiful pink Azalea for our new house. She said they usually have problems growing in this area, but to ask Grandma Orton about it, because she successfully has some in her yard. (Our first plant!)

Lemon Meringue Pie III

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water in a heavy saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 1/3 cup water to make a smooth paste. Gradually whisk into boiling sugar mixture. Boil mixture until thick and clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Gradually whisk egg yolk mixture into hot sugar mixture. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in grated lemon rind and butter or margarine. Place mixture in refrigerator and cool until just lukewarm.
4. In a large glass or metal bowl, combine egg whites and salt. Whip until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar while continuing to whip. Beat until whites form stiff peaks. Stir about 3/4 cup of meringue into lukewarm filling. Spoon filling into baked pastry shell. Cover pie with remaining meringue.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until meringue is slightly brown. Cool on a rack at for at least 1 hour before cutting.