Lemon Meringue Pie: Take 1

Childhood memories have always been very peculiar to me. I remember certain things so clearly I could describe colors, smells, or even the pattern on someone's shirt.  Then there are those times I can barely recall anything.  Great big chunks of nothingness. The mind is so strange. Just the other day I was laying next to Madeline as she was going to sleep for a nap and she was talking to me - so we were face to face - and her breath smelled exactly like I remember my Grandma Vivi's breath smelling.  I remember how much I loved that smell as a child.  It was sort of sweet and clean smelling. Then I remembered how much I admired my Grandma and how much I miss her.  The experience surprised me and made me really happy all at the same time.

 A lot of my favorite memories revolve around food.  My Great Grandma Lily, My Grandma Vivi, and my Mom were all very good cooks and you could count on tantalized taste buds when sitting down to a meal at any of their homes. My Mom is still a great cook, but I have certain memories and certain favorite recipes I will never forget.  Off the top of my head: Mom's meatloaf (I still haven't had meatloaf anywhere in the world as good as hers), which was always accompanied by peas and a baked potato or it just wasn't right; her scrumptious Spanish rice and meatballs with bacon and green peppers (drool); homemade braided french bread and breadsticks - I could eat two loaves in one sitting; and that cheesy, creamy halibut casserole - Mmmm! One of my most favorite desserts - Her homemade lemon meringue pie passed down through the generations.  The crust was always flaky and melted in your mouth; the filling was sweet and tangy; and the meringue was the perfect sweetened topping, which was not only edibly pleasing, but aesthetically pleasing. As a child I requested it many times for special occassions.

Anyway, so I got married...


Forever and ever, amen.

and I always imagined making these recipes for my husband and children when I grew up, and passing on the secrets and traditions of our family.  Only, I happened to marry a very picky eater and, unfortunately, he wasn't a big fan of casseroles, seafood, meat with onions or ketchup in or on it, any form of Mexican/Spanish foods, and desserts other than ice cream - specifically PIE.  That pretty much knocked out everything but the breads.

So in the almost 9 years we have been married, I haven't done much traditional cooking.  Our weekly meal plan consists mainly of chicken in several different forms, spaghetti or some other noodley-type dish, and once in a while a steak or some hamburger ("no bun or condiments though for me please," said Paul.) - all with a nice side item of either rice, potato, salad, beans, corn, or - if I am feeling really fancy - some kind of fruit.  Admittedly, he has come a long way since then and will try more things and eat more things and if a piece of rice just happens to touch his meat, he's okay with that.

Considering I was a college girl the first 4 years of our marriage and then I worked full time as a nurse after that, it didn't really cross my mind that I wasn't doing what I always thought I'd do.  It didn't really bother me... I just made what made the man happy. Isn't that what a good wife does?

But then...



Baby Madeline Olivia

Hi baby!

And then...



We moved to Saudi Arabia

All of the sudden, I had, not only a child of my own, but an opportunity to be what I always wanted - a stay at home wife and mother.  This blessing alone had changed everything and my thinking has changed some.  I still, and will always accomodate the tastes and likes of my man.  He is everything to me and I can't fault him for being him.  I wish he liked all the wonderful foods he is missing out on, but he doesn't... and that's okay.  BUT (and that's a huge BUTT), I want to give every choice to my children.  I want them to be exposed to the delicious peppers, and onions, and casseroles, and PIES... there is so much out there to taste my friends, and it is friggin' delicious! 



So, for the first time in my life I am trying to cook more.  I am starting to make those old recipes and trying to bring back the tasty deliciousness of my childhood.  To begin: I am attempting to make my Great Grandma Lily's lemon meringue pie for this upcoming Thanksgiving.  I have two weeks to perfect it and get it just right.  Not until recently did I learn that not only is this the best lemon meringue pie in the world, but it was very important to get "the nod of approval" from Great Grandpa Paul before one was deemed worthy and received the "right of passage" as a lemon meringue pie professional wife and mother. 

My Mom's experience:

"We actually had to make the perfect pie and then take it to Grandpa Paul for the final taste test judgment.  I still remember watching Grandpa staring at the piece of pie I brought him for several minutes and then him putting the first bite in his mouth and rolling it around while breathing deeply in and out... and then I got "The nod." His approval was a crowning moment in my life."

So, even though my guy isn't a pie man, I want my children, my friends, and strangers from all walks of life to say, "Holy crap! This is the best lemon meringue pie I have ever tasted in my entire life... I can die now. Thank you so much Edith... Thank you so damn much!"

Here is my first attempt (I will not be sharing the recipe with anyone other than my family, sorry.):

I started with the crust. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy. My main concerns were getting it round and wide enough to fit the pan perfectly and making sure it had the perfect balance of strength and mobility so it would stay together and make it into the pan.  It worked: 



The Crust

Then I made the filling.  It took a while for it to thicken, but then all of the sudden it thickened quick and it was a beautiful lemon yellow color and it was sweet and tangy and just right!



The lemony filling

Then I made the meringue.  My main concern with it was that it seal to the pie edge so there is no shrinkage or slipperyness.  Then I tried to do the flippy, swirly design my Mom was always so good at and after much frustration I just made it look messy with a few small swirlies.  Obviously practice and work for perfection is required for this artistic endeavor.



The Meringue



Then I cooked it!  It's not the most beautiful pie in th world, but it looked and smelled like a lemon meringue pie.  And I have to say, pretty great for a first attempt.



My very first homemade lemon meringue pie made all by myself

I was going to just leave it at that and say it was perfect the very first time, but... it wasn't.  I let it sit for a couple hours and then after dinner (steak, rice, and salad - surprise surprise! hee hee) I cut into it.  The filling was way too watery and sort of spilled all over the place in the pan.

BUT!!  The crust was AWESOME.  The meringue was fluffy and sweet and tasted delicious!!  And, although runny, the filling was sweet and tangy and yummy-yummy-yum (just like Moms).  So, I do not have far to go.  After some wonderful tips from Mom I am ready to keep trying.  A couple of practice rounds with adjustments to the filling ingredients and it should be juuuuuust right. Worthy of nods from all over the world.