Lime Meringue Pie

Well, since we got about 50 limes the other day, and one of my sisters had been asking me to make Key Lime Pie, it was about time. I looked for key lime pie recipes, but it is traditionally made with sweetened condensed milk. So I googled and found this recipe. I named it Lime Meringue Pie because this is not how key lime pie is traditionally made. This was actually my first meringue, and I was surprised how easy it was and how well it turned out. They all liked this (except for my weird little brother didn't like the filling . . . :) ).

Note: I may use milk next time, to make it creamier and because we have a lot of milk right now. (I think we are milking about 25 goats twice a day right now, so getting 10 to 15 gallons a day for us! Sooooo, we make all kinds of cheeses, use it in baking, and make a couple gallons of yogurt and kefir everyday or every other day).

Lime Meringue Pie (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free)
Adapted from SouthernFood.About.com/

Crust:
1/2 cup lard
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, if not corn-free)
1 1/4 cups rice flour
***OR***
your favorite GF pie crust, baked


Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or 3 tablespoons cornstarch, if not corn-free)
2 cups water
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup lime juice
grated peel of 1 lime (optional)


Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 tablespoons sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350°. For the Crust - Beat the lard, sugar and egg. Add the rest of the crust ingredients. Spread half of the mixture thinly in a greased 9 inch pie pan*. Bake in preheated oven for about 9 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. If it puffs up too much, press down with a spoon.


2. For the Filling: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, flour, and arrowroot; gradually stir in the water. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Gradually stir about 1/3 of the mixture into the beaten egg yolks; stir mixture into the remaining hot mixture in the pan. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring, for two minutes. Stir in the lime juice and peel and cool slightly. Pour into the baked crust and cool.


3. For the Meringue:

Beat egg whites until light and frothy. Add the 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in the 5 tablespoons sugar and beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

Pile the meringue lightly on cooled pie filling, spreading it until it all the way to edges of the pastry to prevent the meringue shrinking. Bake in a preheated 425° oven until the top is brown, 3 to 6 minutes.

Notes:

*You should only have to use about 1/2 of the crust mixture. I made cookies and some muffins with the rest of the dough (for the muffins I added milk and baked - they turned out great!).

~ Hanunyah

Featured on - Gluten-Free Wednesdays (by The Gluten-Free Homemaker)