Lavender Lemon Meringue Pie

A couple weeks ago I was invited to a Super Bowl party and I wanted to bring something sweet and southern, so I decided to try making a lemon meringue pie, but with meringue that had been flavored with lavender. If you remember, a while back I made some lavender lemon rice pudding that turned out quite well, so I decided to use that same flavor combination. It came out wonderfully, tasting great and looking even better! I love it when the meringue browns at the tips, it looks so fluffy and beautiful. But enough about how much I like meringue, on to the ingredients!

 

Ingredients:

1 Ready-Made Frozen Pie Crust

1 Cup Sugar, plus 6 additional tablespoons

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons Corn Starch

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Grated Lemon Zest

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Lavender

1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

4 Eggs Whites

4 Egg Yolks, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To make the filling, mix together the flour, salt, cornstarch and one cup of the sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Then whisk in the water and the milk and begin to cook the mixture over medium high heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and take one cup of the mixture out of the pan. 

Gradually whisk the cup of the mixture into the beaten egg yolks until they are thoroughly combined. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and continue to simmer the filling, stirring constantly, for another four minutes. Then remove the filling from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Cover and set aside.

To make the meringue, take 3 tablespoons of sugar and the 1/4 teaspoon of lavender 

 and place them in a coffee grinder. Pulse several times until the lavender has been cut into small pieces and is mixed in the with sugar. Set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until they become foamy. Beat in the 3 tablespoons of regular sugar and the 3 tablespoons of lavender sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat the egg whites until they become shiny and stiff and hold peaks. Do not under beat them, as this may take several minutes to achieve. Beat in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and set the meringue aside.

Cover the edges of the pie crust with tin foil and pour the filling into the crust. Then spread the meringue on top of the filling using a spatula and taking care not to intermix the layer of lemon filling with the layer of meringue. Place the pie in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the tin foil crust coverings, and allow the pie to cool for 30 minutes. Place the pie in the refrigerator for at least two hours prior to serving. Serve chilled.