As a wedding shower gift, my new company gave Andy and I one of those
KitchenAid stand mixers. Its amazing! (What color you ask? Ice which is like a sea green). So I had to test it out of course and I thought why not a lemon meringue pie! I'd never made one before and to think of it I have never actually eaten one. So I got on
CookingLight.com and found a recipe.
I used the mixer to make the meringue and it was the easiest thing ever. In a matter of seconds I had fluffy white clouds of meringue in my mixing bowl. So I spread the meringue over the smooth lemony filling. It was gorgeous: peaks of white like waves. All it needed was those nice browned edges so I popped it into the broiler which was preheated. I put the microwave timer on for a minute per the instructions. After that minute passed, I checked on the pie and to my horror the top of the pie was burned and some of those beautiful white peaks were actually on fire! My clouds had been turned into ashes! I was horrified. I took the pie out and blew out the tiny flames.
What could I do? With a fork in hand, I started peeling off the burnt crust of meringue that was on top. Luckily it was pretty easy and beneath was still a good layer of pretty tasty meringue. Once I had finished, I used my mini torch (used for such delicacies as creme
brulee) and began the restoration process. I browned the meringue and then sprinkled lemon zest over it for garnish.
So now was the taste test. I grabbed Andy and Carl (Andy's brother) to be my guinea pigs. We all had a piece and to my delight it was delicious. I forgot to let the filling set after baking so the lemon filling was not as set as I would have liked it to be, but I put it in the fridge afterwards and it solidified beautifully.
So be weary of the hot gates of the broiler. I do not use it very often so am not a
connoisseur of its high heat prowess, but now I'll know better for the next meringue pie!
Below is the recipe I used from
CookingLight.com. I love how
CookingLight.com tells you the nutrition information for each of the recipes they have. This recipe uses a lot of fat free ingredients which was perfect for the weight watching we are doing before the wedding!
Ingredients
Crust:
1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 8 cookie sheets)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
Filling:
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (6-ounce) carton lemon fat-free yogurt (such as Yoplait)
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons water
Meringue:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°.
To prepare crust, combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Press into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, combine lemon rind and next 3 ingredients (rind through yogurt) in a medium bowl, and set aside. Sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl; let stand 1 minute. Microwave at HIGH 15 seconds, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Stir gelatin mixture thoroughly into yogurt mixture. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Press plastic wrap onto surface of filling; chill 1 hour or until almost firm.
To prepare the meringue, combine 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 240°. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed of a mixer until foamy. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg white mixture, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Remove the plastic wrap from filling. Spread meringue evenly over filling, sealing to edge of crust.
Preheat broiler.
Broil meringue for 1 minute or until lightly browned, and cool on wire rack. Chill until set.
Yield
9 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 293(9% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 1.1g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 6.8g; CHOLESTEROL 9mg; CALCIUM 141mg; SODIUM 178mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 59.9g
