Did you know that today is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day?  What better way to celebrate then making one.  Like most of the other pies I've made this year, this is one I've never  tried before.  I gravitate towards chocolate so that's why I've passed up fruit pies in the past.

 I followed the recipe from the Pie book.  I've never made a meringue before this pie, so that was a fun and exciting first.  I started out by making a butter crust and pre-baking it.  Once completely baked, I allowed it to cool.  The lemon part of the pie was made on the stove top by mixing sugar.  I used my favorite sugar substitute again (Nectresse).  The other ingredients were eggs, lemon juice and zest, butter, corn starch and salt.  All of these ingredients are mixed together until they thicken.  The  mixture needs to cool to room temperature.  Then I added the lemon mixture to the pie crust to cool.  Once it came to room temperature, it was time to make the topping.

Then came the fun part of making the meringue.  To make the meringue, I whisked together egg whites, cream of tarter, powdered sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla in my Kitchenaid mixer until they were foamy and thickened up.  Once the meringue was finished, I added it to the room temperature pie.  I put the pie under the broiler for a few minutes to get peaks golden brown.  I cut and enjoyed a piece right away while the meringue was still warm.  I liked the contrast between the tart lemon and the sweeter meringue.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this pie, and how much fun it was to make.  Next time I'm at a restaurant, I might give lemon meringue pie a try.

I think my dog Kirby wants some of the pie too!  He's eying that pie bad.  I would love to see what he would do if I wasn't standing right there.

Side note I also want to say Happy Birthday to the late and great Julia Child's who would have been 102 today.  Remember  "Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." - Julia Childs