The Magic Lemon Pie

With my first practice "party" I had anticipated every single little thing and it went off without a hitch. I was so happy with the results that I asked over another couple for dinner without a moments hesitation! However I have now learned that having people over for dinner is not really the same thing as a small get together of ladies. For a first dinner party I think I did well and I certainly did Aunt Pearl justice with her fantastic lemon pie! But there are definitely a few things I will keep in mind for next time...

I made these dinner party plans with an acquaintance that Will met at work and I had never met him before. I decided to make a lasagna with freshly made noodles, something I had done many times before, some artichokes, a salad and bread with rosemary lemon butter. It sounded yummy, easy and perfect to please a crowd! Unfortunately the week leading up to my dinner party was horribly hot. This sounds like it has nothing to do with the party but it really affected the way I planned. I was so hot and miserable in my AC-less house that it took me days to get the house in order and then I waited until the last minute to cook anything because I didn't want to turn the oven on! So the day that my guests were supposed to arrive I was left cleaning last minute things, rolling out pasta dough and making the lasagna, making the lemon pie, the salad, the butter, the artichokes and then getting myself ready... by the time my guests were at the door (and Will was still driving home) I was pooped! I put on my best smiley face and greeted them. We sat around and made small talk and thank goodness Will walked in the door just as I put the artichokes on the table. I am so thankful for that delicious wine that really pepped me up or I might have been the most boring hostess of all time.

So lesson learned, do things ahead of time, plan plan plan, and if at all possible make sure to have someone able to be with your guests while you inevitably will have to be fiddling in the kitchen. But all in all not a terrible first try for a young house wife! Plus, a good dessert always seems to magically save any evening. It gives everyone something to ooh and ahh over.

In this case it was Aunt Pearl's lemon meringue pie. It was delightfully easy to make and I really loved the tartness that offset the heat of the day.

how to make a meringue...
place 3-4 egg whites in a bowl. Begin to whip up the whites using an electric mixer on high until the whites begin to form soft peaks. At this point add in about 1/4 cup of fine sugar and continue to beat until the whites form very stiff peaks. Some people add cornstarch and this helps to hold it all together but I do not always have it on hand and I find that you don't always need it.

For the Lemon pie...

1 can sweetened condensed milk
lemon zest of 1 lemon
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon juice
pinch of salt

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mix ingredients in order given and beat well. Pour uncooked into baked pie shell. Cover with meringue piled high and in peaks. Bake in moderate oven (250 to 300) for about 15 minutes or until meringue has browned.

I found it better served right away than if you prepare it a couple days ahead of time.

Aunt Pearl called this one "Magic Lemon Pie" and it really was! It was ready in no time at all and didn't give me any trouble. Everyone really enjoyed it and I can see how it would pair nicely with almost any summer dinner. Personally I enjoyed it frozen the next day during another very hot summer afternoon! A little tip, I found it took me about 4 large lemons to get the 1/2 cup of lemon juice.

I wish I had gotten pictures but all i can give you now would be a picture of an empty pie plate with a few crumbs! I will not be so forgetful with my next recipe which will be here very soon! A true glutton for punishment I am hosting another get together tomorrow. This one is a small lunch time pot luck that I am very much looking forward to becuase it will double as a play date for Ally! I cannot decide if I would like to make an old favorite recipe for cookies or a chocolate pie... why not both?! ;)