pies and pastries

Prepare Baked Pie Crust.

Heat oven to 400 F.

Beat egg yolks with fork in small bowl. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan; gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks; stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in margarine, lemon peel, lemon juice and food color. Pour into pie crust.

Prepare Meringue. Spoon onto hot pie filling. Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking or weeping.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Cool away from draft. Cover and refrigerate cooled pie until serving. Immediately refrigerate any remaining pie.

Baked Pie Crust:
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening or 1/3 cup lard
1 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour**
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Heat oven to 375 F. Cut shortening into flour and salt, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Roll into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down glass pie plate, 9×1 1/4 inches, with floured cloth-covered rolling pin. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool on wire rack.

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in vanilla.

*Spreads with at least 65% vegetable oil can be substituted.

**If using self-rising flour, omit salt. Pie crusts made with self-rising flour differ in flavor and texture from those made with all-purpose flour.

Makes 8 servings

This recipe displayed with permission from General Mills, Inc.