I love Easter. Everything about it just makes me so happy: The sunrise service at church, the bright florals, the adorable children in seersucker, the cascarones (confetti eggs), the warm weather, and the citrusy desserts. Clearly, none of that is happening this year with the exception of sunrise service that is being live streamed and the bright florals I see on my daily walks. I suppose I could sleep in one of my seersucker nightgowns to get that fix. Typically, my husband and I would attend the sunrise service and then go over to my parents’ house for lunch, who attend the 8:30 service, and eat ham, macaroni and cheese, and an endless string of desserts. Of all the desserts in the traditional line up, this meyer lemon pie is the star of the show. Though this Easter looks very different—my husband and I are making gourmet pizzas on the grill for dinner and not eating off the china or the crystal—this pie was a nonnegotiable for our Easter table. Pretty to look at, literal sunshine in food form, this pie will bring a smile to your face, and hopefully a “spring” in your step! Happy Easter!
Ingredients:
For pie shell:
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
5 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
For pie filling:
1 cup meyer lemon juice, if you don’t have meyer lemons simply blend together 3/4 cup of lemon juice and a 1/4 cup of mandarin orange juice, fresh squeezed. A meyer lemon is just a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange!
1 teaspoon lemon rind
4 egg yolks
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
For meringue:
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
1 /4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a pie dish, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and mix until it feels like wet sand. With a smaller measuring cup, I used a 1/3 cup size, press evenly into a pie dish and bake for 6-8 minutes. Take out to let cool and keep oven on for browning the meringue.
Combine condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl stirring until homogeneous.
Pour mixture into pie shell.
In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar and beat until it begins to froth. Slowly pour in sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Top pie with meringue, sealing the sides, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until meringue is lightly toasted.
Allow to cool and then refrigerate, covered, until serving. Best served chilled.
