Ever wonder who enters the baking contests at county fairs? Once upon a time, I did. The pie, which follows won a blue ribbon, back when some of my readers were in diapers. Well, now that we have established what a quaint lady I am, let me assure you that this dessert will cause good old-fashioned glee, when you serve it at your table. No, it is neither low-fat nor low-calorie, but aren't we all entitled to an occasional sweet luxury? This has become a year-round favorite of all who have tried it.

Lemon Pie

Crust

3 Egg whites
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Method

Put the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 275 degrees. Beat the Egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff, but not dry. Keeping the beater running, sprinkle the sugar on the egg whites slowly. Continue beating until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Add the Vanilla extract, then stop beating. Spray a 10 inch ovenproof glass pie plate well with vegetable oil spray. Shape the meringue mixture as a pie crust. Bake for an hour. Turn off the oven, but leave the meringue in there until it cools.

Filling

1/2 cup Margarine, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 cup fresh Lemon Juice (not bottled)
8 Egg Yolks (not egg substitute)
1 tablespoon fresh grated Lemon Peel

Method

Place all the ingredients in a double-boiler, or a medium-sized saucepan, and whisk them together. Cook over simmering (not boiling) water, or the lowest possible setting on your stove, whilst stirring constantly, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not allow this to come to a boil, or it will curdle and be unusable. You will notice that at first the Margarine is in tiny pieces. After a time, those pieces will melt, and you will see a light colored foam on top of the mixture. That foam will decrease as you cook. The instant it disappears, is the time when cooking is complete.

Remove from the heat immediately, and put the bottom of the pan in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, whilst continuing to stir. Pour the filling into the crust. Then place a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap directly on top of the filling. This will stop a skin from forming on top of the filling. Chill for several hours until firm

Quick Topping

1 small tub Non-Dairy Whipped Topping
1 tablespoon fresh grated Lemon Peel

Method

Cover the top of the pie completely with the Whipped Topping, sprinkle the Lemon Peel over the Whipped Topping, and serve.

Italian Meringue Topping

4 Egg Whites
1 cup Sugar

Method

Place the ingredients in the top of a double-boiler, whisk slightly, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Place over boiling water, cook and beat with portable electric mixer until very thick and shiny. Spread over the Pie, and sprinkle with grated fresh lemon Peel.