Toodaloo to Earl...and summer :(

Well hurricane Earl was a bust. If you went to bed at 10pm and woke up at 7am, you didn't even know anything happened. We got some rain and waves, but that was it. I still used my disaster kit (see previous post) despite the lack of disaster. What else was there to do?

Once Earl took a hike, the weather turned out to be beautiful and is staying that way for the remainder of Labor Day weekend...the unofficial end to summer (small tear). No work for us tomorrow, so we are heading over to our very dear friends' house tonight for dinner. Prior to leaving, I wanted to bake up a little something, so I prepared one of Mary's pie recipes to drop off with my parents and their friends.

Prior to my entrance into the family Mary would make pies quite often for Sunday suppers. This tradition had ended by the time I was born so I never had too many of her pies but I heard they were delicious. When I dropped off the pie, the debate about crust began. I have heard that Mary didn't make crust, but my mother "begs to differ" (her famous rebuttal response). She explained, along with the help of my uncle Ricky who was with her that in the earlier part of her life, Mary made her own crust, but as she got older she began to use the prepared crusts. There. Problem solved.

This recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie is "very good" according to the recipe card.

Lemon Meringue Pie

(written on large recipe card with Italian embellishment)

For Filling: 

On the top of a double boiler, mix together

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt.

Slowly add 2 cups of boiling water into mixture. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slightly beat 3 egg yolks. Add to eggs the grated rind from 1 lemon and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Add slowly to cooked mixture and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp butter.

For Meringue
Beat together 3 egg whites and 1/4 tsp salt using mixer or whisk. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until stiff.
Pour filling into prepared 9" pie crust and cover with meringue. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Chill before serving to allow filling to set.