Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

An entry or two ago, I posted a review of The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day along with a brief treatise professing my love for their amazing Drunk Blondies. Earlier this week, I was compelled to sample another recipe from this compendium of earthly delights. 

The recipe presented by the Day Duo is Lemon Pie Bars. I, however, decided to make a few alterations and kick it up a notch, and in the process, I created Lemon Meringue Pie Bars. If you're an avid lover of the Old School of Southern Cookery, then you should find this recipe a delightful update to the classic pie. Be warned, however: it makes a LOT. I mean, a LOT LOT. I made this on Sunday evening, gave a hearty portion to a friend, have eaten some myself every day, and I still have a chunk of it sitting in my refrigerator. Not that I'm complaining or anything...

Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

Crust:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 sticks of butter 

2 tbs. sugar

Filling:

1 cup milk

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh* lemon juice

2 14 oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk

6 egg yolks

*I hate juicing lemons with a burning passion, but seriously, using fresh-squeezed juice makes a world of difference. 

Meringue:

6 egg whites

sugar*

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

*I will explain why there's no measurement for the sugar momentarily. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To prepare the crust, melt the butter and combine with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Press the mixture evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan, and bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool, and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To prepare the filling, whisk together the milk, lemon zest, juice, condensed milk, and egg yolks until evenly combined, and then pour over the cooled crust. Next, place the pan into a larger pan, and add water to the bigger vessel (just eyeball it -- you want enough to be substantial but not so much that it will run over). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set (if it jiggles, it's not ready). Remove the pan from the water-bath and allow to cool while you prepare the meringue. 

Now, my mother taught me how make meringue, and in the Trimm household, we eyeball practically everything when cooking, so if you want a more precise recipe for meringue, you're going to have to look elsewhere. 

For the meringue, make sure you mix it in a metal or glass bowl. This is important, as using a plastic bowl will keep the egg whites from "fluffing." You can also whisk meringue by hand if you want enormous biceps (because this takes a while), but I recommend using an electric mixer. Pour your egg whites into the bowl and whisk vigorously until they begin to appear slightly fluffy. At this point, add your cream of tartar, and continue whisking until they begin to grow fluffier and larger in volume. Then, add your sugar. I ended up using somewhere around 1/4 of a cup, so we'll go with that. Then continue to whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks. 

Pour the meringue over the cooled filling and bake at 325 until the meringue is just ever so slightly browned. This won't take very long (we're talking around 5 minutes), so just keep an eye on it. 

Allow the bars to cool in the refrigerator overnight, and enjoy! 

 (The finished product! Isn't this freakin' gorgeous? Looking at this makes me feel like a domestic god. Watch out, Esther Summerson -- I'ma snatch yo keys!)

(An individual slice, served up on a plate from my new set of dishes, graciously given to me by Karen Howell!)