| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 11 pecan shortbread cookies, such as Keebler Pecan Sandies (about 1/2 of an 11-ounce package)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringues)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the crust: Pulse the cookies, sugar and zest in a food processor until fine. Pulse in the melted butter until the crumbs are moist. Press into a 9-inch pie pan and bake until golden and set, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- For the filling: Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a heavy-bottomed pot until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water and set aside. Cook the lemon mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until just beginning to thicken. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook until it thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Fill the pie crust with the filling, spreading it out evenly.
- For the meringue: Using a stand or electric hand-held mixer, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk again. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a separate small bowl. With the machine running, add the sugar mixture a little at a time and whisk until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
- Spread the meringue over the top of the warm pie, making sure to get it to the edges. Bake until the meringue is just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 398 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 61 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 46 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 107 mg |
| Sodium | 133 mg |
Reviews
Thanks so
Cornstarch doesn’t thicken well when mixed with acidic liquids. The thickening power will diminish when cooked with an acidic fruit like lemons.Once cornstarch is cooked, acid will not affect its thickening power. This is why when you are making a lemon meringue pie, the lemon juice is added after the cornstarch has thickened the filling.If it is used in excess in a pie, the thickener will make the filling gloppy, a gel-like mess.
Any recipe you need to thicken will not do so if you use an aluminum pot or if your kitchen is cold or drafty, for pie filling, pudding, gravy, etc. Just like breads and cookies won’t rise. That’s why bakeries are warm and toasty.
So good
Amazing pie! I followed the edits of the Anonymous review from 6/15/18. It was Perfect!
When you are whisking the the sugar and the 8 yolks it takes a little while for it to get thick and to the point where you should add the lemon juice (I’d estimate it was about 5-7 minutes of straight whisking- don’t stop bc it will burn quickly). Once you add the lemon juice it takes another 5-7 minutes to thicken. Again- straight, nonstop whisking. Mine was like a thick, hot pudding. I made sure I had the lemon juice and the cornstarch (with 4tablespoons) mixed with the half cup water all ready so that it was easy and I didn’t have to stop whisking.
Also- my crust was amazing- I had gone to Whole Foods (So Pecan Sandies were not an option), I got a package of pecan cookies and a package of shortbread cookies and I did half of each package (equaling about 10 ounces after it was in the food processor). I did crisco my glass pie dish and I pressed my crust up the sides as well. It was delicious!
I set a timer for 8 minutes so the pie wouldn’t burn and then needed to set another timer for 3 minutes because it wasn’t browned much, in total it baked for about 11-12 minutes and it was perfectly set. I let it cool on the counter for 2 hours and then placed in fridge for 2 hours before cutting into! Next time I would use less of the merengue but that’s just personal preference.
Good luck!!
When you are whisking the the sugar and the 8 yolks it takes a little while for it to get thick and to the point where you should add the lemon juice (I’d estimate it was about 5-7 minutes of straight whisking- don’t stop bc it will burn quickly). Once you add the lemon juice it takes another 5-7 minutes to thicken. Again- straight, nonstop whisking. Mine was like a thick, hot pudding. I made sure I had the lemon juice and the cornstarch (with 4tablespoons) mixed with the half cup water all ready so that it was easy and I didn’t have to stop whisking.
Also- my crust was amazing- I had gone to Whole Foods (So Pecan Sandies were not an option), I got a package of pecan cookies and a package of shortbread cookies and I did half of each package (equaling about 10 ounces after it was in the food processor). I did crisco my glass pie dish and I pressed my crust up the sides as well. It was delicious!
I set a timer for 8 minutes so the pie wouldn’t burn and then needed to set another timer for 3 minutes because it wasn’t browned much, in total it baked for about 11-12 minutes and it was perfectly set. I let it cool on the counter for 2 hours and then placed in fridge for 2 hours before cutting into! Next time I would use less of the merengue but that’s just personal preference.
Good luck!!
Instead of using a half a cup of water I would use just enough to make a slurry with the starch , maybe a Tbs or two. If you cut back on the water it might help the filling set.
filling would not set.followed recipe exactly.very disappointed.
Long review, but I hope it will help others in the future. First of all, the flavor is delicious so definitely worth making. Instead of saying “until the sugar is completely dissolved”, it should say when the sugar STARTS to dissolve in the egg yolks before you add your lemon juice. I burned the mixture twice waiting for the sugar to dissolve in the yolks. It dissolves completely and just fine when you add the lemon juice just when the egg yolk and sugar mixture starts to emulsify and gets paler in color. Second, the ratio of corn starch to water is off to make a set filling. Add 4 tablespoons of corn starch to your half cup, not 2. Third, I used 8 egg whites, not four, and kept the sugar, cream of tartar, and corn starch all the same as it calls for 4. Not sure why this recipe needs so many edits, as I’ve never had an issue with any of Ree’s recipes before, but I saw some others had issues as well. Hope this helps!
I made this recipe this first time today and it’s all gone ! And I had to make another !! LOVE ! LOVE !
Really good recipe