Pucker Your Sucker White Chocolate Lemon Meringue Pie

So this post is long overdue.  I made this pie the same weekend that I had all of my wisdom (teeth) removed and had bling (titanium dental implant) put in, but I've been too busy and/or lazy to post about it.  After some prodding from C, I decided that I should finally share the joy that was white chocolate lemon meringue pie (and I say was, because it lasted about 2.5 days in our house).

Let me start with I <3 lemon meringue pie.  Like, I would marry it if it were legal to marry an inanimate object, if I didn't think people would look at me funny, and there wasn't the danger of me getting a little too hungry one day... hrm.  Anyway, growing up this is one of the things I remember my grandma fixing for special occasions.  Granted, I think she used canned pie filling, but the sentiment was still there.  When I saw a recipe in a magazine that added white chocolate to this most beloved dessert, I almost peed myself with glee.  (OK, not really... but I was totally stoked).

First things first, you need to make a pie crust.  I showed you all how to do this on pie day. When you've made your crust, place it in a 9-in pie plate, fold/crimp the edges, prick it with a fork, and bake it in a 475 degree oven for 8-10 minutes (or until lightly browned).  Take that sucker out of the oven and let it cool while you get busy making magic.

Ingredients

1/2 c white chocolate morsels
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 1/3 c sugar, divided
1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 c cold water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Directions

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and cream.  Microwave on high in 30 second intervals until the chocolate has completely melted and is smooth (about 1 min).  Spread evenly over the bottom of your baked pie crust.

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 c sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Gradually whisk in water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat; cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.

Gradually add 1/2 c of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, whisking to combine. (Side note - this is a very important step.  What it does is slowly raise the temperature of your egg so that when you add them to the hot mess you just made, you end up with velvety lemony goodness instead of lemony scrambled eggs.)

Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan.  Return to medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened.

Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, sour cream, and vanilla.  Cook for 1 minute, until mixture is thickened.  Remove this bad boy from the heat.

In a medium bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer (unless you have super human strength and can do this by hand... I am not blessed with that skill) until foamy.  Gradually add the remaining 1/3 c sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

Pour the hot filling into the white chocolate smothered pie crust.  Spread the meringue over the hot filling, completely sealing to the edge of the crust.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350-ish or until meringue is lightly browned.

When it comes out of the oven it will look something like this:

Now comes the hard part - you HAVE to let it cool.  Remember that runny filling you put into the pie shell?  Well it's still runny and is now about 350 degrees, which = lemony lava in your mouth.  Poor choice... So yes, you have to let it cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours.  To add insult to injury, you have to wait a little longer because it sets up best if you refrigerate it first - so into the fridge it goes! (An hour or so should do it.)  After all that waiting, here is your reward:

Enjoy!