Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie
This is a very unique pie and oh so good It is so fun to make and the filling is delicious. Just wait till you try it My family likes the change of crust in this recipe.
This is a very unique pie and oh so good It is so fun to make and the filling is delicious. Just wait till you try it My family likes the change of crust in this recipe.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- filling:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 dash salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- pie crust
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vanilla
- 1/2 cup nuts chopped and toasted
- 10 saltine crackers loosely crumbled
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely shredded
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (i like my meyer lemons)
- Carbohydrate 56.3452615668018 g
- Cholesterol 636.96578125 mg
- Fat 22.1676683695882 g
- Fiber 1.57374541697658 g
- Protein 12.7631670045313 g
- Saturated Fat 7.58365161610126 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (277g)
- Sodium 285.229884052917 mg
- Sugar 54.7715161498252 g
- Trans Fat 1.04862539107269 g
- Calories 468 calories
Step-by-step
- Beat egg whites with salt and tartar until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in saltines and nuts.
- Spread meringue mixture into a well greased or sprayed 9-inch pie plate; shaping it as a pie shell with it's sides mounded a little higher than the center of crust.
- Bake at 300degrees for 35 minutes.Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.
- Mix sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a medium saucepan, stirring well so that ingredients are throughly combine.
- Add water gradually stirring until all ingredients are well mixed.
- Cook mixture over medium-high until thick and bubbling across the entire surface, stirring constantly, then cook and stir for 2 more minutes.
- Remove from heat. In medium bowl, beat egg yolks.
- Gradually pour 1 cup of the cooked mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly.
- Immediately pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook 2 more minutes,stirring constantly.
- Gradually stir in lemon juice until combine.
- Pour into prepared meringue shell. Cool on wire rack, then refrigerate.
- Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!!!
Operating without a standard pastry base requires a pie plate coated thoroughly with cooking spray or butter to prevent the meringue from fusing permanently to the ceramic. Whipping egg whites with one-quarter teaspoon of salt and cream of tartar creates the initial aeration network, stabilizing the foam before granulated sugar goes in tablespoon by tablespoon. Reaching stiff peaks is non-negotiable here; folding in ten loosely crumbled saltines and half a cup of chopped, toasted nuts demands a delicate spatula technique to avoid deflating the structural protein matrix. Baking this fragile shell requires an oven set strictly to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, drying out the meringue until it hardens into an edible container.
Thickening the citrus curd relies on a precise ratio of three tablespoons of cornstarch combined with three tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Whisking these dry components with sugar and water before applying heat prevents lump formation. Medium-high heat must be maintained until bubbles break across the entire surface, followed by an additional two minutes of cooking to cook out the raw starch flavor fully. Neglecting this crucial boiling phase leaves a cloudy, thin filling that will dissolve the baked meringue shell upon contact.
Tempering the three large egg yolks prevents curdling when they meet the hot starch mixture. Ladling one cup of the boiling liquid slowly into the yolks while whisking vigorously brings the protein temperature up safely before returning everything to the saucepan. Meyer lemons provide a specific aromatic profile if used, though standard lemon juice combined with one-half teaspoon of lemon zest yields comparable acidity.
Cooling the assembled pie on a wire rack allows steam to escape before refrigeration firms the filling completely. Meringue absorbs ambient moisture rapidly, meaning this dessert degrades structurally within hours of assembly.
