Lemon Meringue Icebox Pie
This is the first pie I ever made, and it quickly became the pie of my childhood and my dreams, an obsession that took years to get under control.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 3 lemons, juiced
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Directions
- 1
Make the crust:
- 2
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
- 3
In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar, and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
- 4
Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie tin.
- 5
Make the filling and topping:
- 6
Cover and chill the egg whites. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice and condensed milk; mix well and pour into the graham cracker crust.
- 7
Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Be very careful not to touch the hot pie tin without oven mitts or potholders.
- 8
Let the pie cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- 9
To assemble:
- 10
When ready to assemble the pie, preheat the oven to 350 F.
- 11
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer on high speed. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture looks like stiff peaks.
- 12
Spread the meringue over the pie filling.
- 13
Bake until the meringue is golden brown, about 12 minutes.
- 14
Take the pie out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
- 15
Recipe excerpted from "When Alexander Graced the Table" by Alexander Smalls and Denene Millner, illustrated by Frank Morrison.