Lemon pie filling-not pudding

[mttmatsua]

Hi;

Does anyone have a lemon pie filling that is 'clear' not pudding-like. I have a vague memory of one my mom did w/ cornstarch, but am drawing a blank for the rest...

I don't want to use the canned stuff, but may have to resort to that...and with lemons on the way (our tree is LOADED!!!) I figured I can make some...

Thanks!
:)Bonnie

[CarolAnn]

Yes! You lucky person, to have a lemon tree!

My mom made pie from fresh lemons she grew on a tiny Ponderosa miniature lemon tree. It only had three lemons a year, but they were huge and sweet.

Here's the recipe she used from a very old Betty Crocker cook book. 9" pie ingredients are always listed first, and 8" second:

9" pie ........ 8" pie
1.5 Cups sugar 1 & 1/8th C
1/3 Cup cornstarch 4 TBSP
1.5 Cups hot water 1 & 1/8 C

Gradually stir in the water to the dry ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils for 1 minute. Slowly add half of the hot mixture into slightly beaten egg yolks:
3 egg yolks 2 egg yolks

Then beat this egg yolk mixture into the remaining hot mixture in the sauce pan. (This method keeps the egg yolks from cooking into clumps!) Beat one minute more over heat, then remove the pan from the heat, but continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.

Blend in:
3 TBSP butter ........ 2 & 1/4 TBSP
4 TBSP fresh lemon juice 3 TBSP
1 & 1/3 Tbsp grated lemon rind 1 Tbsp

Pour into a baked pie shell and cover with meringue. Bake until meringue is a delicate brown.

Do you want the meringue recipe too?

Mom's pie crusts were always light and flaky because she used old fashioned lard as part of the shortening, and a tiny bit of lemon juice in place of some of the ice water. But then, they didn't know about cholesterol or trans-fats!

[CarolAnn]

Now, with lots of lemons, don't forget lemon cake, lemon cookies, baklava, sweet-sour chicken made with lemon and honey rather than vinegar and sugar (WAY better!) and lemon ice cream.

And lemonade, lemon sherbet, lemon custard . . . .

[mttmatsua]

:) teeeheee....so many lemons so little time!!! Thank you for the recipe...I do believe that was the kind my mom did. She was one of 'those' cooks tho...no recipes, all from her noggin! sigh, I'm getting there (maybe another 45 years or so, right????)

I made lemon curd a couple of years ago and gave it for gifts...yummy on biscuits.

We are lucky to have our tree in our SoCal sized back yard ;) ie...small.....

But even where I grew up in NorCal, my mom always had a lemon tree. We kept it covered in snow and freezes, but that thing produced a ton!!

Thanks for all the good ideas!!!

:)Bonnie