Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie

To make the filling, combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan. Now, strip the zest from the meyer lemons using a vegetable peeler. Be careful not to strip any of the white skin along with the zest because it will add unwanted bitterness. Add the zest to the saucepan with the sugar and milk. Bring mixture to a simmer then remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the zest from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard it.

In a separate bowl, put 1/2 cup of the juice from the lemons, and then whisk in cornstarch, then whisk in egg yolks (reserving the whites in a separate bowl).

Return milk and sugar mixture to a boil, then pour 1/3 of the mixture into the bowl with the lemon juice, cornstarch, and eggs and whisk together. Return remaining milk and sugar to a boil again and add lemon juice mixture back into it, whisking constantly until t comes to a boil and thickens. Whisk at a boil for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap. Chill until the mixture is room temperature.

While the filling is chilling, make the meringue. For the meringue, heat a pot of water until it comes to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a metal bowl and place over the simmering water, creating a double boiler. Whisk gently for 2 minutes, until the egg whites are hot and the sugar is dissolved. Remove the bowl from the heat and, using a mixer, whip on medium until the meringue has cooled and can hold its shape.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Once the filling has chilled, pour it into the crust.

Then, on top of the filling, spreadthe meringue evenly, sealing all edges. Swirl the top of the meringue. Place the pie on a cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 6 minutes until the meringue has browned.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.