My 1962 cookbook, Betty Crocker’s Cooking Calendar, is one of my favorites because it gives a lot of information about each month of the year as it applies to food. It also includes lots of quotes, facts and other information that I love to read, such as how pin money started, the origin of the word “Lent” and the old-fashioned guide to wedding anniversary gifts (i.e. 1st is paper, 2nd cotton, etc.).
Best of all is the list at the beginning of each month of the “red-letter” foods and other fruits and vegetables that are plentiful and at their peak in flavor. Of course, we can get most produce all year now, but I have always been a seasonal cook since flavor and quality are so much higher when they are in season. Besides, it is aesthetically pleasing to me to use the seasonal foods—it keeps us in touch with generations of humans before us.
According to the cookbook April red-letter foods are carrots and pineapples and since this is the column when I feature the pie-of-the-month, you’d probably expect a pineapple pie. But last month lemons were at their peak and lemon pie is my favorite, so that is what I am writing about. Besides, lemons were on the “other plentiful fruits” list. I must admit that lemon pies come in many guises but the ubiquitous lemon meringue tops my list.
It helps that when I was 16 I decided to help my mom by making the dessert for a dinner party she was having. Mom was a nervous Nelly when it came to entertaining. She would work herself into such a frenzy cleaning and cooking and making everything perfect that she rarely enjoyed her parties. Consequently, she rarely entertained. My father, however, was her opposite (I must have inherited his genes on this point) and loved to have guests. Yes, even back then he was willing to help my mother and was good at it, but Mom still felt it fell on her and her image to do most of it.
I was actually surprised she let me choose and make the dessert as these were fairly important guests. I guess she was really stressed out when I asked her. She said I should go ahead and make anything I wanted to and didn’t even check on what I had chosen. I, of course, with the usual idealism of youth chose something I had never made and was fairly complex—lemon meringue pie. By the time Mom found out what I was doing, it was too late but I heard an audible groan at the discovery.
Well, I made a wonderful pie. The guests exclaimed all evening about that pie. That was probably the beginning of my love affair with cooking because my Mom was so pleased (and I must admit, surprised) that she let me cook to my heart’s content after that.
I have since made many lemon pies—some much easier than the one I made back then, but none that have been better. So, if you’re in the mood for a little work but with a great result that will bring you accolades, use this pie recipe:
Old-fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie
*Note: for perfect results, do not take any shortcuts and make this pie EXACTLY as the instructions say.
1 ½ cups sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp. flour
Dash salt
1 ½ cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 9-inch baked pastry shell
3 egg whites
1 tsp. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. sugar
In saucepan mix 1 ½ cups sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in water. Bring to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir small amount hot mixture into egg yolks; return to hot mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring, constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add lemon peel and butter. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Cover entire surface with clear plastic wrap; cool 10 minutes. Now pour into cooled pastry shell. Cool to room temperature (about 1 hour).
For meringue, beat egg whites with 1 tsp. lemon juice till soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating till stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edges of pastry. Bake in moderate oven (350) 12 to 15 minutes or till meringue is golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.
Best of all is the list at the beginning of each month of the “red-letter” foods and other fruits and vegetables that are plentiful and at their peak in flavor. Of course, we can get most produce all year now, but I have always been a seasonal cook since flavor and quality are so much higher when they are in season. Besides, it is aesthetically pleasing to me to use the seasonal foods—it keeps us in touch with generations of humans before us.
According to the cookbook April red-letter foods are carrots and pineapples and since this is the column when I feature the pie-of-the-month, you’d probably expect a pineapple pie. But last month lemons were at their peak and lemon pie is my favorite, so that is what I am writing about. Besides, lemons were on the “other plentiful fruits” list. I must admit that lemon pies come in many guises but the ubiquitous lemon meringue tops my list.
It helps that when I was 16 I decided to help my mom by making the dessert for a dinner party she was having. Mom was a nervous Nelly when it came to entertaining. She would work herself into such a frenzy cleaning and cooking and making everything perfect that she rarely enjoyed her parties. Consequently, she rarely entertained. My father, however, was her opposite (I must have inherited his genes on this point) and loved to have guests. Yes, even back then he was willing to help my mother and was good at it, but Mom still felt it fell on her and her image to do most of it.
I was actually surprised she let me choose and make the dessert as these were fairly important guests. I guess she was really stressed out when I asked her. She said I should go ahead and make anything I wanted to and didn’t even check on what I had chosen. I, of course, with the usual idealism of youth chose something I had never made and was fairly complex—lemon meringue pie. By the time Mom found out what I was doing, it was too late but I heard an audible groan at the discovery.
Well, I made a wonderful pie. The guests exclaimed all evening about that pie. That was probably the beginning of my love affair with cooking because my Mom was so pleased (and I must admit, surprised) that she let me cook to my heart’s content after that.
I have since made many lemon pies—some much easier than the one I made back then, but none that have been better. So, if you’re in the mood for a little work but with a great result that will bring you accolades, use this pie recipe:
Old-fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie
*Note: for perfect results, do not take any shortcuts and make this pie EXACTLY as the instructions say.
1 ½ cups sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp. flour
Dash salt
1 ½ cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 9-inch baked pastry shell
3 egg whites
1 tsp. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. sugar
In saucepan mix 1 ½ cups sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in water. Bring to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir small amount hot mixture into egg yolks; return to hot mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring, constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add lemon peel and butter. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Cover entire surface with clear plastic wrap; cool 10 minutes. Now pour into cooled pastry shell. Cool to room temperature (about 1 hour).
For meringue, beat egg whites with 1 tsp. lemon juice till soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating till stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edges of pastry. Bake in moderate oven (350) 12 to 15 minutes or till meringue is golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.
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