While we haven’t quite reached the peak of spring temperatures, the beautiful sunshine peeking out behind the still-threatening clouds leaves me hoping and longing for summertime.
And with summertime comes some of my favourite flavours – lemon and lime! And other than sherbet or drinks, I can’t think of a better way to consume these than in pie form.
So up today we have a Lemon Meringue and Cool Lime pie. I hope you enjoy!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Meringue is one of those pies that people are often fearful of – mostly because of the meringue topping! But with a few tips and tricks, you too can make a deliciously fluffy and lightly browned meringue.
First, start off with the crust. You can use a graham cracker crumb crust, a basic pastry crust, or a sugar cookie/shortbread crust. I decided to go with the latter to make things a little different. (And forgot to take pictures)
Cookie Crust
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temp
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Cream together sugar and butter until light. Beat in flour, salt, milk and vanilla, until moist and crumbly.
Press the dough into a tart pan (about 9 or 10 inches) and press it up the sides. Make sure the bottom layer is even.
Bake @ 400 F for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is set and firm around the edges. (It will be baked later in the recipe, so don’t over-do it now! I over-baked mine and it was REALLY hard to get out of the pan with the pie) Cool.
Now for the filling!
Lemon Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 4 large egg yolks
- pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups boiling water
In a medium saucepan combine the ingredients from sugar to salt. Whisk until starch and sugar is dissolved.
Stir in boiling water and place sauce-pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil while stirring gently, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook up to one minute while stirring gently.
Immediately pour the pie filling into the cooled crust and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate.
Meringue Topping
- 4 large fresh egg whites at room temp
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Add the corn starch gel and beat to combine.
Cool Lime Pie
My mom would always make this pie in the summertime, or for just any old occasion. After I made it and we tasted it, I realized I should have used a chocolate cookie crumb crust! But I forgot and used a graham cracker crumb crust. As I was having a busy baking weekend, my hubby picked up 2 pre-made store bought ones (GASP!), but you can feel free to make your own – just use the oreo crumbs instead! It’s way better tasting :D
- 1 package cooked vanilla pudding and pie filling
- 1 package lime gelatin
- 2 cp water
- 1/4 cp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp grated lime rind
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 3 1/2 cp whipped topping
- 1 9 in. chocolate crumb crust
Combine pie filling, gelatin, water and sugar in a saucepan.
Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
Add lime rind and juice. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until cold and slightly thickened.
Fold in 2 1/2 cups of whipped topping.
Let your kitchen helper lick the whisk :D
Spoon into the crust. Freeze 1 hour or chill 3 hours before serving.
Top each piece with the remaining whipped topping.
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