So Easy Lemon Meringue Pie with Ritz Cracker Crust

"Pie, Pie, Me oh my, I love pie", or so sang John Travolta in the movie "Michael". Most everyone does seem to love pie and everyone seems to have their own favorite. My husband loves apple, my fav is pumpkin. No matter what your favorite is, pie is always a hit.

 

This is my own version of an old favorite that uses sweetened condensed milk. You have probably seen some version of it before. Some use egg yolks but just refrigerate the pie with no cooking, some don't use eggs at all. I like to use egg yolks (but prefer to cook them) so I can have the whites for meringue and I think it makes a better pie, me oh my.

This recipe makes a large pie and uses a 10" deep dish pan. I have included ingredients for a smaller pie at the end of this post and of course instructions stay the same.

I used a simple Ritz Cracker pie crust but a ready made Graham Cracker Crust works great too. You can also omit the meringue if you don't have time and use the eggs whites later in an omelet maybe. But if you have the time, go for the meringue. Its totally worth it.

Lets start making the crust.... (see complete recipes at the end of this post)

First you will need to crush the cracker crumbs.

Either use a food processor or place the crackers in a zip lock bag and crush by rolling a rolling pin over them. Keep crushing until they are all crushed fine and evenly.

Now mix the crumbs with sugar and melted butter and press into a pie pan.

Bake for 10 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven, let cool, and fill.

Now for the filling... this is really so simple. Just whisk the eggs yolks and add lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk. You can also add some grated lemon rind if you like. Make sure you don't confuse the sweetened condensed milk with evaporated milk. The one we are using is so thick it can't be poured and is already sweetened. Now just fill your marvelous crust with the filling and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Ready to move on? While your pie is baking, lets make the meringue. Again, so very simple. Beat your egg whites and cream of tarter with an electric beater until frothy. Add sugar a little at a time and continue beating until you have stiff peaks. If you don't have a stand mixer you may wish you did (I don't BTW) as this step takes some time. Don't despair, just keep beating, it will get there. One important note however, take care when separating your eggs, if even a smidgen of yolk gets into your whites it will never beat to the consistency you need.

Now spread this glorious stuff on top of your hot pie taking all the way to the edges. Traditionally you will see little swirls made into peaks on meringue tops. Raise the oven temp to 350 and bake just until the peaks brown, about 10 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy! Store in refrigerator.

Ritz Cracker Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Ritz Crackers (one sleeve plus 4 crackers) finely crushed.
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush crackers in a food processor or in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin.
3. Mix cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Add melted butter and mix well
4. Press into a 10" deep dish pie pan and bake for 10 minutes, cool and fill.

Filling

Ingredients:

• 5 egg yolks
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons grated lemon rind (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Whip egg yolks with a whisk or fork then mix in lemon rind if using, milk, and juice.
3. Pour into prepared crust and bake 25 minutes.

Meringue

Ingredients:

• 5 egg whites
• 1/4 rounded teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites with cream of tarter till foamy
2. Add sugar a little at a time till stiff peaks form
3. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown.

For a smaller pie use these ingredients for filling and meringue:

• 3 large eggs, separate yolks from whites.
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind (optional)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1/4 cup sugar.

And for your enjoyment...sing this while baking.

Pie Song lyrics 

Artist - Michael soundtrack 
Album - Michael 
Lyrics - Pie Song 

Pie 
Pie 
Me oh my 
Nothing tastes sweet, wet, salty and dry 
all at once o well it's pie 
Apple! 
Pumpkin! 
Minced 
an' wet bottom. 
Come to your place everyday if you've got em' 
Pie 
Me o my 
I love pie 


I would love to hear from you and welcome comments or questions!