Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

I'm so proud of myself. I made pie. ME MAKE PIE! I never make pie. I bake cakes, but I don't make pie.

I adapted a few recipes to make it Dairy-Free, a.k.a. safe for Binky, and I almost goofed it up, because I got the timing wrong and I got the curd part curded before having added my other ingredients. Luckily I only lost some sugar and Arrowroot powder.

I reduced the amount of sugar most recipes called for it tastes fine. It's not too sweet, but it's sweet enough. So I can eat it, even with my new diet and my body will love it. So will my mom on Sunday when we celebrate Mother's Day at my Sister's.

All right, so on to the Recipe itself. List of ingredients below this image...

• 1 Gluten-Free Graham type Pie crust.

For the Lemon Curd:

• 1.5 Cups of Sugar
• 3/4 Cups Arrowroot Powder
• 2 Cups Water
• 5 Tablespoons of Earth Balance
• 4 Egg Yolks
• Lemon Rind from 2 Lemons
• 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice (either from Fresh Lemons or regular Lemon Juice)

For the Meringue:

• 4 Egg Whites
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/4 Cups Sugar
• 3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

This makes one pie, and a bit extra depending on the pie crust size.

Method further below...

First I prepared all my tools and got my ingredients out. I washed and did my lemon rind. Then I squeezed fresh lemons for the juice. Alternately, you can use the juice of the lemons from which you got the rind and complete with regular lemon juice. I measured my dry and wet ingredients for the Curd part. Then I separated the eggs yolks from the whites and placed them in two separate bowls.

In one bowl, mix half the rind and yolks, beating with a fork, and then leave for later. In a saucepan or small pot, put in the Sugar for the Curd, Arrowroot Powder and Water. Stir until the sugar and Arrowroot seem diluted. Then place on the stove at high temperature, not completely at Max, and stir continuously. Keep checking the temperature with your finger until it's hot to the touch. Remove from heat. Let cool a tiny bit.

In another pot or pan, melt the Earth Balance. Once melted, add into the warm sugar-water-arrowroot mixture. When the mixture is room temperature (feels the same temp as your finger), pour in the egg yolks. Then place the pot back on the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Stir continuously until it thickens. You will notice perhaps some brown parts, if the bottom is caramelising. That is a sign it's almost ready. Keep stirring. Once it's the texture of a thick goo, remove from the heat. Pour the curd into the pie crust and let it cool until room temperature.

Depending on the size of your pie crust, you may have extra curd, which is why I made a second flatter, more like a half pie. I may need to adjust the amount of Arrowroot Powder to 1/2 + 1/8 of a Cup, instead of a full 3/4 Cups. If you don't have extra pie crusts lying around, you can place the curd in little paper cupcake cups, to make a few extra mini pies, they'll just have no crust, but they'll be as good. If you don'T have extra, great!

Meringue direction below...

While your curd is cooling in the pie crust, it's the perfect time to make the Meringue. So, with an egg beater, beat the whites until they're pretty fluffy. This can take between 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the kind of beater you have (hand held or the big ones). Keep beating and slowly add in the 1/4 Cup of sugar. Take your time, adding just little bit by little bit, so that the whites keep fluffing. Then add the Vanilla Extract and beat enough to mix it all together.

Now you can plop the Meringue onto the curd. I used a spatula and then made little peaks with the tip of the spatula. You'll find your method.

Sprinkle the remainder of the lemon rind on top of the Meringue.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once in the oven, cook the pie for about 10 minutes. The tops of the meringue will become a bit golden.

Once out, let it cool completely before storing it. It can be kept at room temperature, but the meringue might soften. I prefer to keep mine in the fridge until it's time to eat it.

Below is the half-flat extra one I made.

Note that this recipe is not perfect, except for the amount of sugar. Licking the bowl told me so lol :p But it's the first time I succeed a pie recipe the very first time I make it. Minus the mishap I was able to correct. All other pies I've ever made required me to make them at least once before nailing the recipe. I was so excited, I called my sister to tell her all about the impromptu pie we'll be having on Sunday.

Enjoy! Smacznego!