Everyone needs a no none-sense farm to table pie recipe. This is an adapted recipe by Alice Water’s for the New York Times and because she made it you know you are getting something rustic and delicious. Don’t be intimidated by the meringue! It is so so worth the excitement and pride of pulling it out of the oven.

Pie Crust Ingredients

Pie Crust (homemade or store bought)

Filling Ingredients

4 Large Meyer lemons
- Fully zested & juiced into a glass bowl
4 Eggs
6 Egg Yolks (save whites for meringue)
11 Tablespoons of organic cane sugar
6 Tablespoons salted butter (cut into pieces)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into pieces)

Meringue Ingredients

6 Egg whites (room temp)
1/2 Teaspoon cream of tartar
12 Tablespoons caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Roll your pie shell (homemade or store bought) into a 12 inch circle and fit onto a 9 inch pie pan.
Fold excess pie shell onto itself and use your fingers to crimp the pie edge.
Prick the pie shell with a fork and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Zest all four Meyer lemons into a glass bowl. Set a strainer over the bowl and juice all four lemons.
Over a large bowl separate the whites from 6 eggs and place the yolks in a medium saucepan. Put aside the large bowl with the egg whites for making the meringue.
Add 4 regular eggs (yolks & whites) to the saucepan with the yolks.
Add the sugar to the saucepan.
Whisk eggs & sugar in the saucepan until combined.
Stir the lemon juice/zest and 12 tablespoons of butter into the saucepan.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until your mixture thickens and can coat the back of your wooden spoon. Depending on your stove this may take 10 - 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Remove filling from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes whisk a few times to smooth the mixture.
Cover your frozen pie shell with parchment papers and pie weights (or dried beans) and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove parchment paper and weights, turn the oven down to 350 and cook for an additional 12 minutes.
Allow pie crust to cool for 15 minutes before moving onto the next step.
Spread the filling into the shell and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the filling is set.
Remove pie from the oven and turn the oven back to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Make the meringue by beating the room temp egg whites until frothy. At this point, add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Beat in the caster sugar & vanilla.
Using a spatula, spread the finished meringue over the pie, swirling and twirling to get the desired look you want. Making sure it covers the whole pie.
Place back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until meringue is slightly browned.
Allow the pie to cool completely before serving by leaving out on your kitchen counter for 1 or 2 hours. If you are not ready to serve after the 2 hour period, you should pop your pie into the fridge until serving time. Fresh baked Lemon Meringue Pie will last in the fridge for about 3 days after baking.