Lemon Meringue Pie

In 1956, my mom left the farm in Eastern Tennessee and moved to Nashville to attend business school. She ate lunch often at a local drugstore, and regularly ordered a tomato stuffed with tuna salad and a slice of lemon meringue pie. Sometimes, she went to the drugstore for just the pie and coffee.

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Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

This is my mom's recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie. It's a slight variation of the recipe that Eagle Brand provided on its label at one time. Mom adds an additional egg, and sometimes she increases the lemon juice.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Author Olives & Okra

Ingredients

For pie crust

• 1¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ⅓ cup butter melted

For pie filling

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 3 egg yolks slightly beaten

For meringue

• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

To make pie crust

1. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter, and mix well. Pour into 9-inch pie plate. Press mixture firmly to bottom and sides of pie plate. Regrigerate for 1 hour or bake for 5 minutes.

To make filling

1. Mix together eggs and sweetened condensed milk. Add lemon juice, and mix until well blended. Pour into pie shell.

To make meringue

1. Beat egg whites, sugar, and vanilla on high until blended. Add cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Drop by heaping tablespoons on top of pie. Bake at 350°F until merginue is lightly brown. Refrigerate pie for several hours before serving.