Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Lemon Angel Pie


For many, many years, my signature pie has been a Chocolate Angel Pie. I make one for every holiday and special occasion. What is an angel pie, you ask? Simply, it is a pie with a meringue crust. It looks spectacular. It tastes even better. And it isn’t hard to make.

Several years ago, my mother-in-law came to live with us and I made her one of my Chocolate Angel Pies. She liked it. But, after polishing off her second piece, she wondered out loud if there existed a lemon version. Now, I knew the Lemon Angel Pie existed, but rather than search for the recipe, I came up with one on my own. I liked it. I liked it a lot. And I’m not one for lemony things. Let me present to you the Lemon Angel Pie:

Lemon Angel Pie

4 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten (I use dried egg whites)
1 (8 oz) container non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Grease (or use cooking spray) a 9” glass pie plate.

3. In large bowl, beat 4 egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff, but not dry. Add sugar slowly until stiff and glossy.


4. Spread meringue in pie plate, making a “well” in the center for the filling.


5. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and leave crust in oven for at least one hour or, preferably, overnight.



6. In small, heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, and sugar. Heat over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.




7. Fold beaten egg whites into lemon mixture (for years, I just used regular uncooked egg whites to do this, but I figure my time is about up for being lucky and not getting sick from them, so now I use powdered egg whites for this step. You can probably skip this part altogether, but I think it adds a bit of lift to the filling) and then fold in whipped topping.






Couldn't you just swim in this stuff?

8. Spread lemon mixture into pie shell and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for several hours.


9. When ready to serve, whip whipping cream with powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie. Garnish with lemon zest.







Using a glass pie plate, and making sure to grease it well, are key to being able to cut and serve this pie!

8 comments:

  1. omg....that looks incredible. I never knew what an angel pie was....it's kinda like an upside down meringue pie. YUM!!! soo....do you want to do the back stroke in the stuff? LOL I can't wait to see the chocolate version.

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  2. My God, this is so delicious, I don't know if I could stop after the second piece.

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  3. Wow. This is an absolute beautiful cake! You are extemely talented.

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  4. We love meringues in our house and I think this pie would be a big hit. Beautiful!

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  5. this pie is pure bliss, I love how creamy it looks

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  6. Wow! My husband would so love this. Bookmarked!
    Oh, and thanks for visiting my blog. I'm dying to know what German ingredient you couldn't find!

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  7. Now that is gorgeous!!! A meringue crust must be such an amazing taste/texture sensation...and the lemon tang...oh man alive...YUM!

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  8. OMG!!!! OK I am behind on posts, so I had read the Chocolate one first, but now I am torn... I guess I will just have to have a piece of each... LOL Mouthwatering!!

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