Lemon Meringue Pie

Oh, this pie is so heavenly!  I was amazed by how many eggs it takes, but it is worth EVERY one!  This will give you some good practice seperating eggs if you haven't practiced before.  I always crack eggs into a small custard dish, then pour the egg over my hand into the whites bowl.  The whites go through my fingers, then I can set the yolk into the other bowl.  Many people rock the yolk back and forth between the egg shells.  I tend to break the yolk when I do it this way.

This is a time consuming recipe.  From start to finish it takes several hours.  It is so delicious though, I am willing to work and wait!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients:

            16 eggs

            4 cup sugar – divided (2 for filling 2 for meringue)

            2 cup fresh lemon juice

            1 pie crust (I like graham)

                       

1. Preheat oven to 325*F.

2. Separate yolks and whites of all 16 eggs into separate bowls.

3. Using an electric mixer get the whites started whisking for the meringue.  This will take a while to form nice high peaks. 

4. In a medium sauce pan, whisk the yolks and 2 cups of the sugar together.  Add the lemon juice and stir.

5. Heat on low and stir with a flat ended spoon or spatula until it thickens up.  Stir the entire time and keep scraping the bottom of the pan.  You want to cook the egg yolks, but not end up with scrambled eggs.  This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.  Be patient!

6. Immediately transfer the lemon mixture into the pie crust and spread evenly.

7. By now your meringue should be starting to get nice peaks.  SLOWLY add the two cups of sugar into the meringue.  It will make your peaks fall, just keep it whisking until the peaks form again.

8. Top your pie with meringue!  You will end up with extra meringue; I like to use it for meringue cookies.

9. Bake your pie at 325*F for about an hour or until the meringue has a nice golden brown top.  

Allow to cool completely before serving.

           

Scalloped Potatoes

You will notice there aren’t any real measurements in this recipe.  I love this recipe because it is so versatile for making it more or less according to your needs.  Once you have the process down, you can easily make the exact amount you want.  This recipe is for a 9x13 baking pan.  After my family of six eats with this as a side dish, I usually have one small serving left.

As usual, this is NOT a low calorie recipe.  It is, however, amazingly good!

Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

4-5 Medium potatoes

Shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar)

Flour

Pepper

1 quart whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F

You are going to start by peeling, washing, and slicing the potatoes.  If you are adjusting the recipe size, prep the potatoes as you fill the pan so you don’t waste them.  Be sure to slice the potatoes consistently nice and thin, this will ensure even cooking.

In a greased 9x13 baking dish place a layer of the potato slices, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. 

Sprinkle the potato slices with your shredded cheese.  We like a lot of cheese, so I pretty much cover the potatoes.  You can use as much as you like. 

Sprinkle on some pepper.  Don’t use to much, you will be doing this on every layer.

Now sprinkle a bit of flour on there.  This is what helps the sauce to thicken as it cooks.  I usually just “eyeball” the amount.  It’s probably about two or three tablespoons on each layer.

Start over with the potatoes and work the layers again.  You should have enough room to put in three or four complete layers.

Once your pan is full of potato and cheesy goodness, pour the quart of whipping cream on.  Yep, I said the entire quart!  You want to fill the pan right up to the edge with the cream.  Because the pan is so full, you will probably want to put a lined cookie sheet under the pan, it may spill at bit once it starts bubbling.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350*F for an hour.

Uncover and raise the temperature on the oven to 400*F, bake until the cheese on top is a nice dark brown.  Probably about another hour.