Ann Lander's Best Lemon Meringue Pie (with Never-fail Meringue)

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 baked and cooled 9 inch pie shell (my butter pie crust kittencal's no-fail buttery flaky pie pastry/crust works great!)
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (if you like an extreme lemon taste then add in a couple more tablespoons lemon juice)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 4 -5 drops yellow food coloring (optional but looks better!)
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 3 egg whites
• 7 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch salt

Recipe

• 1 in a double boiler, or a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch together; add in the 2 cups cold water.
• 2 in a small cup/bowl,combine the egg yolks with lemon juice, and the yellow food colouring; whisk until well mixed.
• 3 add to the sugar cornstarch mixture; whisk until mixed.
• 4 cook and mix/whisk until mixture thickens (about 6-7 minutes, do not over-boil mixture or it will not set properly), if you are making in a saucepan, be careful not to scorch the bottom of the pan, a double-boiler is definitely recommended for this.
• 5 remove from heat.
• 6 add/mix in the lemon extract, butter and vinegar; stir thoroughly.
• 7 pour the lemon mixture into cooled pie shell; set aside to make meringue.
• 8 to make meringue:.
• 9 blend/whisk the cornstarch and cold water in a small saucepan.
• 10 add in boiling water, and cook, stirring until clear and thickened.
• 11 let mixture stand until completely cold.
• 12 with an electric mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy.
• 13 gradually add in sugar, and beat until stiff but not dry.
• 14 turn mixer to low speed; add in pinch salt and vanilla.
• 15 gradually beat in the cold cornstarch mixture.
• 16 turn mixer again to high; beat well.
• 17 spread/pile meringue over cooled pie filling, making certain to seal the meringue to the baked crust.
• 18 set oven to 350°f, and bake for 10 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned.