INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Yields: one 10-inch pie.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Start the
filling only when you are ready to prepare the whole pie;  this pie
cannot be made in stages. In the top of a double boiler, off  the heat,
combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water and, using  a whisk,
stir until the mixture is well dissolved, making sure no  cornstarch
lumps remain. Whisk in the egg yolks and stir until the  mixture is
smooth.  Place the egg mixture over boiling water, and cook, whisking
continuously. After about 7 minutes, the mixture will thicken  rapidly.
After it has thickened, cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the  butter, then
remove from the heat. Quickly whisk in the lemon zest  and juice and
stir until blended. Immediately cover the mixture to  keep it warm. Set
aside.  To make the meringue, make sure all your mixing equipment is
grease  free. Then, with a whisk combine the egg whites, sugar, and
cream of  tartar in the bowl of a tabletop mixer. Place the bowl over a
pan of  barely simmering water. Stir continuously with the whisk until
the  mixture is just warm to the touch.  Return the bowl to the mixer,
fit the mixer with the whip attachment,  and whip at high speed until
the meringue forms soft peaks, about 2  minutes. The meringue should be
glossy and smooth, not chunky.  Pour the lemon filling into the cooled
fully baked 10-inch pie shell  and spread it out evenly.  So that the
meringue is easy to spread evenly, place it 3 or 4 places  on the
filling, rather than piling it all in the center. (If you have  a cake
turntable, placing the pie on it while applying the meringue  makes the
process easier.) Using an icing spatula, spread the  meringue
completely over the surface of the pie. Make sure the  meringue meets
the outside rim of the crust all the way around the  pie (so that it
will create a seal with the crust when baked). Place  the remaining
meringue in the center of the pie. Use the spatula to  shape the
meringue into the classic dome, complete with swirls that  will brown
nicely.  Place the pie on the center tack in the oven and bake for 6
minutes.  Most of the meringue will be a very light brown, with some
areas  still white and the higher peaks a darker brown.  Set the pie on
a wire rack in a draft-free location and let cool for 4  hours before
serving.  Notes  ABOUT MERINGUE : Many recipes are based on a
combination of egg  whites and sugar, and although the amounts,
methods, and techniques  vary to create different results, most involve
whipping. Proper  whipping of egg whites is not as mystifying or
difficult as many  people think. Following two basic rules will usually
result in  successfully whipped egg whites. First, always use equipment
that is  totally grease-free. Second, if you're unsure how long to whip
the  whites, it's usually better to underwhip than overwhip them.This
is  especially true when whipping egg whites with a tabletop or
handheld  mixer; once you've checked their consistency, you can whip
them just  a bit longer with a whisk if necessary.  SOFT PEAK: Egg
whites at soft peak are usually whipped without sugar  at medium to
high speed.They will lust barely hold a peak, still look  foamy, and
slide around freely in the bowl.  MORE NOTES:  Although the ingredients
and proportion are fairly standard for this  pie, our technique is a
little unusual. We feel the additional steps  are well worth the
efiort. We have discovered that it is very  important for the filling
to be warm when the meringue is applied.  This helps seal the meringue
to the filling so the two don't separate  when cut. Instead of pouring
the filling directly into the crust  right after it is made and letting
it cool, the filling is kept warm  in the double boiler until the
meringue is ready.  Some meringues develop beads of moisture, are
chunky and  unappetizing, or fall apart when cut. Heating the egg
whites and  sugar together before  continued in part 2

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