The Daring Bakers Strike Again! This Time - Lemon Meringue Pie

Jen, of the Canadian Baker, masterminded this month's challenge - Lemon Meringue Pie! As I've noted before, I am a sucker for citrus, and I was thrilled by this months challenge because it gave me an opportunity to use the Meyer lemons from my little Meyer lemon tree:
The very first pie I ever made was a lemon meringue pie: I was twelve years old, and my mom let me plan and make a meal for the family, all by myself. I made a roast chicken, twice-baked potatoes, and a lemon meringue pie. I have to tell you, much to everyone's surprise, that pie was perfect. And it tasted good, too.Other than the curd, I think my favorite part of the recipe was the all butter crust - it was easy to work with, very crispy, and was still crisp the next morning. I know, because I had a piece of pie for breakfast. But I wouldn't use this crust on a lemon meringue pie again - I think it would be better in a really sweet pecan pie, or maybe even a pot pie of some sort.

Lemon Meringue Pie can be quite challenging for those who have not baked much: you have to work with a pastry crust, make a meringue, and temper eggs for the filling. While the recipe called for putting the cooled filling in a cool crust, and then instructed us to top the cooled curd with meringue, I've learned from sad prior experience to put the meringue on a HOT filling. This helps cook the bottom of the egg whites, and reduces the amount of clear fluid that builds up between the curd and the meringue (known as "weeping".)

I don't know that I would put this particular recipe on the repeat list, but I'm so glad that Jen picked this for January's Challenge. If you want to see and learn more, go over to the Daring Baker's Blogroll. And for the recipe, be sure to check Jen's site. I can hardly wait for the next challenge!