Creamy Lemon Meringue Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Directions

For Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine crumbs and sugar. Stir well. Add melted butter. Mix until the melted butter is evenly distributed. 
3. Spray a 9 1/2 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Add the crumbs to the dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to help press the crumbs in firmly. This step is important to assure the crust doesn’t fall apart. 
4. Add the crust to the preheated oven and bake 8-10 minutes, until it is golden and firm. Remove from oven and let cool. 
5. Keep oven at 350 degree temperature. 

For Meringue:

1. Meanwhile, add egg whites and cream of tartar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for a few minutes, then medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, a spoonful at a time, and beat on high speed until sugar is completely dissolved and stiff and glossy peaks form. Set aside.

For Filling:

1. Beat the eggs yolks with a fork in a small bowl.
2. Add Planet Oat Barista Lovers Oatmilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges and thicken. Keep at a boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Mixture will continue to thicken. Turn off heat.
3. Gradually add a spoonful of the hot filling into the egg yolks. Whisk constantly. Add a bit more filling mixture into the egg yolks. This will help temper the eggs prior to adding them to the filling. Now whisk the full egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn the heat back to medium for another 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Mixture should be glossy and almost the thickness of pudding. Remove from heat and add butter. Whisk to combine. 

Assembly: 

1. Pour the hot filling mixture into the graham cracker crust. 
2. Gently add the meringue on top of the warm filling. Bring the meringue all the way to the edges of the filling so that it touches the crust to form a seal. Using a spoon, swirl the meringue topping to make small peaks on the pie. 
3. Place pie into the oven and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until the meringue tips are golden brown and the meringue topping reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Remove from oven and place onto a wire rack. Cool for at least an hour at room temperature, then refrigerate for 5-6 hours to allow pie to set. 
4. Slice and serve. 

Recipe Tips:

1. Make sure no egg yolk (not even a tiny amount) mixes in with the egg whites, as fat will prevent meringue from whipping properly and forming stiff peaks.
2. Cold eggs are easier to separate than room temperature eggs, however, room temperature egg whites will whip to a greater volume. Best to separate the eggs when they’re cold, then let the egg whites come to room temperature before whipping the meringue.
3. It’s important to add your meringue topping to the filling in the crust when the filling is hot, so that a seal forms, which will help prevent the two layers from separating.
4. Be sure that the sugar is completely dissolved in the meringue topping, this will help prevent the meringue from weeping (forming small beads of moisture on top of the meringue), though some weeping is normal, especially after refrigerating the pie.
5. Baking a lemon meringue pie on a very humid day can make your meringue a bit chewy and sticky because of the moisture content in the air.
6. Lemon meringue pie is best eaten on the day it’s made. Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.