Caroline’s Lemon Meringue Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Press the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans. Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Carefully lift and remove paper with dried beans and discard. Set aside pie crust and let cool.

Lemon Curd:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, zest and egg yolks. Once stirred fully, whisk in lemon juice, salt and butter and place pan over medium-high heat. Whisk together 1 cup cold water and cornstarch and add to mixture, whisking constantly, until butter has melted. Continue to whisk for about 5 minutes. The mixture should get thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and small bubbles should form around the edge of pan. Do not let it boil.

Once complete, pour the lemon curd mixture directly into cooled crust and smooth the top. Place pie into refrigerator and let it chill until set, at least three hours.

Meringue:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine egg whites, sugar and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Take pie out of refrigerator and place meringue on top of pie, making sure it touches the crust all around. Bake until meringue begins to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove pie from oven and serve.