Today is Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. But Mom is the most important person in my world, and one Hallmark holiday is nowhere near enough to celebrate her. No, she deserves to be celebrated day in and day out. I’ve written about Mom here many times before and will many more in the future, I’m sure, but since it is Mother’s Day, I thought it was the perfect time to celebrate Mom a little more.
Mom, I love you. I love you more than the biggest bear hug and all the roses in the world could express. I love that you get dressed up and do your hair and makeup and wear short skirts and high heels, even if your feet sometimes hurt. I love that you love to watch TV and movies with me. Who knew we’d bond over watching Shameless? I love that you bake and cook with me, though sometimes I know you’d rather just order a pizza. I love even more that you do the dishes because that can’t be as fun as the cooking and baking. I love that you love the moon and always look for it day and night. I love that you believe the number twelve means something in our lives . . . now if we could just figure out what that meaning is.
I love that you don’t get mad when I wake you in the middle of the night because I can’t sleep. I love that I can tell you or ask you absolutely anything and I know you won’t judge because some days I’ve got a lot I need to get off my mind. I love that you are my biggest cheerleader. You support me through everything even when you aren’t entirely sure what’s going to happen or if it’s the right thing to do. I love that you want my dreams to come true as much as me and that you are fighting for them right alongside me. I love that you are the most generous, kind, loving person, and I hope those traits have rubbed off on me. I love that you love me even with all of my flaws.
Mom, thank you. Thank you more than those two simple words and all the Manolo Blahniks in the world could say. Thank you for going shopping with me and running all kinds of places that might not always sound like fun, but a lot of the time turn out to be. Thank you for buying me all kinds of crazy designer clothes and accessories and an endless supply of nail polish. I promise I’ll pay you back plus a bunch one day soon. Thank you for taking me to musicals and to concerts, it has broadened my horizons and made me a well-rounded person.
Thank you for not taking the role of hard core parent, but instead being my friend in a world where I’ve never been able to find any. For this I am eternally grateful. I know it is not always easy and puts a lot of pressure on you, but I don’t know where I’d be without your friendship. Thank you for understanding that I’m different . . . like really, really different, and loving me through all of it. Thank you for supporting me through ups and downs, crazy dreams and farfetched passions, successes and disappointments. Some days are great and there is no one I’d rather share them with and some days are decidedly not great and there’s no one whose shoulder I’d rather cry on.
I know that I have not been the easiest child to raise and for that I apologize. I know you have hard days too, days when you wish things were just a little different. I do too. But know this: I am doing everything in my power, as little power as that may be, to make great things happen for both of us (and Dad too!). I will not give up. I will not disappoint you. Things will work out because they simply have to. Great things are in store, I’m just not quite sure when. So, Happy Mother’s Day, Mom, I hope you enjoy the day! 
I asked Mom what she wanted to make for Mother’s Day, and she said Lemon Meringue Pie. That sounded great to me. We’d made a similar pie once before prior to my blogging days and loved it, but this version is new and improved. This is not the easiest recipe but it is one of the most impressive and delicious, well worth the time and effort. A super flaky and crispy and buttery pie crust is blind baked before being filled with thick and smooth tart lemon filling and a mountain of Italian meringue that is broiled until lightly browned.
Italian meringue is one of my favorite things and I make it all the time. But this time I was out of light corn syrup (tragedy, I know). Instead, I reached for Lyle’s Golden Syrup. The flavor was about the same, maybe slightly more caramelized, but the texture was light and fluffy. It looked almost like buttercream, but tasted like a sweet, fluffy pillow. I prefer the sticky corn syrup version for cupcakes or whoopie pies, but for the top of this pie, this version was perfect. Together, the flaky crust, tart filling and sweet meringue are a match made in Mother’s Day heaven. So go make this pie for your mom; I know she’ll appreciate it!
Please check out all the other Sunday Supper recipes celebrating mom!
Mother’s Day Brunch:
- Blueberry Coffee Cake from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Cornbread Pancakes with Blackberries from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Crepes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Hot N Sweet Mango Chutney from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Lemon Glazed Raspberry Scones from Juanita’s Cocina
- Quiche Lorraine from Supper for a Steal
- Seafood Quiche from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Strawberry Rhubarb Compote from Noshing with the Nolands
- Sweet French Breakfast Crepes from Curious Cuisiniere
- Vidalia Onion Quiche from Comfy Cuisine
Mother’s Day Entrees:
- Cod with Stewed Tomatoes from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches with Herbed Goat Cheesefrom Foxes Love Lemons
- Lemon Risotto from Healthy. Delicious.
- Lobster Ravioli with Shrimp Caper Sauce from Family Foodie
- Pork dumpling (Shumai) from The Urban Mrs.
Mother’s Day Sides:
- Spaetzle from Magnolia Days
Mother’s Day Desserts and Drinks:
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Gotta Get Baked
- Chocolate Kahlua Cream Pie from Ruffles & Truffles
- Espresso Brownies from What Smells So Good?
- Fresh Blackberry Elderflower Sorbet from Shockingly Delicious
- Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie from Vintage Kitchen
- Gluten Free Coconut Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Berries, and Fresh Whipped Cream from Neighborfood
- Lavender Shortbread Cookies from girlichef
- Lemon Meringue Pie from Pies and Plots
- Lemon Petit Fours from Home Cooking Memories
- Lemon Sorbet in Prosecco from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Milky Way Brownies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Mini Coconut Pies from La Cocina de Leslie
- Mini Strawberry and Cheese Pies from Basic N Delicious
- Mom’s Apple Crisp from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Mom’s Texas Sheetcake from Daily Dish Recipes
- Raspberry and Hazlenut Friands from Happy Baking Days
- Semolina Balls (Suji Laddoo) from Soni’s Food
- Too-Good-to-Be-Lowfat Chocolate Eclair Icebox Dessert from The Weekend Gourmet
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, May 12th to celebrate Mother’s day! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes that celebrate mom. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.
Mom and me at Taste of the Lions, which I’ll be posting about later this week!
Lemon Meringue Pie #SundaySupper
- Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 4–7 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup milk (I used almond)
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon vodka or limoncello
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
Meringue
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup or Lyle’s Golden Syrup
- 5 large egg whites
- ½ plus ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add shortening and butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse to combine. Add more water as needed, until the dough comes together when pressed. It should not be overly moist. Dump the dough onto plastic, wrap it up, forming it into a disc. Refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- After the dough has chilled, divide it into 2 almost equal pieces, because this is a one crust pie, I use more than half. But you may talk only half and freeze the other half, wrapped in plastic and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling and using. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the crust so it is large enough to fit your pie pan. Press it into the pan. Put the pan back into the refrigerator for about 1 hour to chill.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. After the crust has chilled, line it with parchment and fill the parchment with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. I actually used pecans because I didn’t have anything else and they came out pretty much perfectly toasted! Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment and continue baking for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the filling. In a large non-reactive saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, milk, water, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer until the mixture thickens substantially about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add the egg yolks two at a time. Then slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking, followed by the lemon zest and lemon vodka. Continuing to whisk, add in the butter 1 piece at a time and then return to a simmer. After it has simmered, remove from the heat and immediately pour into the prepared pie crust.
- Make the meringue. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and corn syrup or golden syrup over medium heat. Stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear. Once this happens, attach a candy thermometer, raise the heat to medium-high, and stop stirring. Allow the mixture to come to 240 degrees F on the candy thermometer.
- In the meantime, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Continue beating on medium-high until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
- When the egg whites have formed stiff peaks and the sugar mixture has reached 240, remove the syrup from the heat and turn the mixer to medium-low. Slowly and immediately begin drizzling the syrup into the egg whites, trying not to get it on the sides of the bowl. If the whites are done whipping before the syrup is done, turn them off until the syrup reaches 235, then turn them back on to make sure they are fluffy. If the syrup is done before the whites, turn the heat down or remove it from the heat for a minute or so.
- Once the syrup is drizzled into the whites, turn the mixer back up to medium-high and beat for about 7 minutes, until the bottom of the bowl is cool and the meringue is thick, glossy, and voluminous. Add the vanilla and mix about 1 minute more. Meringue may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. I recommend doing this as it makes assembling the pie easier.
- Once the filling is in the pie crust and the meringue is prepared, put the meringue over the filling, covering it completely. It is best to apply the meringue while the filling is still hot. Place pie in a preheated broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown and set the meringue. Do not walk away from the broiler. Keep a very close watch on the pie as this will happen quickly. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, before refrigerating until completely chilled, about 3 hours. May be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Pie may not be frozen.
Notes
Crust recipe adapted from Bobby Flay
Filling recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse
- Prep Time: 5 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
You look like your mother, and she should be over the moon with your words about her. There´s no comfort like a mother´s. I´m glad you can count on her!
Lemon meringue pie has got to be one of the best desserts ever! It looks fantastic Laura!
Thanks so much, Paula! Totally agree lemon meringue pie is a great treat!
You look just like your mom! Love the photo. Lemon Meringue Pie has always been a favorite of mine and your meringue looks so fluffy and beautiful.
Lovely post. That pie is calling me!!! Have a Happy Mother’s Day!
Thanks, Patti, and thanks for visiting!
Love the picture of you and your Mom, you both look a like! The pie looks amazing! I have yet to make a lemon meringue pie, but you inspired me!
Lemon meringue pie is one of my favorites! You must give it a try. Thanks, Jennifer!
What a gorgeous lemon meringue pie! I love that you used limoncello!
What kind words for your mom – happy mothers day Joanne! As much as I love lemon I have never had lemon meringue pie. This looks delicious!
What a sweet tribute that was! And holy cow, what a gorgeous pie – that meringue is huge. I’m loving that it has Limoncello in it, I have to try making this version. Until then, I’ll take a big, fat, slice of yours, please ;).
Wish I could share, Heather! You should definitely try it. I already want to make it again, it’s so good.
Lovely post 🙂 looks delicious!!
Lemon Meringue is a fav here too!
Loved what you wrote for your mom, so sweet! The lemon meringue pie looks absolutely stunning! I’ve never tried this pie before but I’m dying for a slice right now!
Moms are THE BEST <3
★★★★★
Sweet post and you did a great job of expressing yourself. Your Mom is one special person and I am proud to call her my sister. She definitely is a super mom! And the pie looks fabulous!
What a beautiful “letter” to you mom! Lemon meringue pie was one of my mom’s favorite pies too 🙂 Your’s looks beautiful – and I love the addition of the lemon vodka or lemoncello ! I imagine that does wonderful things to the texture too.
Thanks, and thanks for visiting! I don’t really think the vodka added much to the texture, it just added a little boost of flavor.
Gorgeous lemon meringue pie, one of my favs!!!
You and your mom are both stunning! No doubt you’re her daughter either :-). The pie is fabulous, makes me think of my stepdad and grandpa fighting over the last piece at Thanksgiving
Thanks so much, Sarah! Pie is always worth fighting over 😉
This pie looks amazing! I’ve always wanted to make a lemon meringue pie at home. You and your mom are both so pretty!
Thanks, Ashley!
What’s tragic is that I’ve never made a pie from scratch. I’m still intimidated by pie crust. I need to get over it…and make a lemon meringue pie. It’s my MILs favorite pie, and I’ll be she’d love one made by me. It’s on the bucket list, so maybe before 2013 is out, I’ll bite the bullet and make one. Your pie is GORGEOUS!!
Homemade pies are THE best! I really hope you give this a try, I know you’ll be a success and it will taste amazing 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Wendy!
Oh, I love how close your and your mom are…what a beautiful post to her on Mother’s Day. And a fantastic pie to help celebrate. I will have to try Lyle’s for my next meringue!
Luxurious pie! Oh mine ! And what a lovely post! I love your blog even more now that I see again and again how much you love and respect your mom!
Thanks, Julia!
Everything about this is gorgeous – from the crust to the filling to the meringue!! It’s so fluffy, puffy, and I want to dig right in. Your mom is lucky to have such a great cook as a daughter 🙂
Awww . . . thanks, Averie!
Aww, what a sweet post and a lovely pie! Lemon meringue is one of my favorites 🙂
Laura, Thank you so much for the beautiful post. You did a great job of expressing yourself. You write so well. Remember I will always love you and I am always proud of you. You are a wonderful daughter! Life has its ups and downs but you just have to keep trying. On this Mother’s Day I think of my Mom too and how wonderful she was and the best Mom in the world. She was so thoughtful, generous and loving. There is nothing like a Mom!! This pie is one of my favorites. It was so great from the flaky crust, to the tart lemon filling, to the smooth topping. Loved it. Made the day perfect!
★★★★★
Thank you so much! Glad you liked the pie too 🙂
Loveed the crust. Loved the lemon. Loved the meringue.
Wonderful words about your mom, you must love her a lot and care of her.
The lemon meringue pie of yours sounds amazing. I love Italian meringue to.
Italian meringue is the best!
What a beautiful tribute to your mom! Your pie looks so delicious!
Such a wonderful tribute to your mom!I’m sure she must be overjoyed reading your post :)Your pie looks amazing!What a decadent treat for Mother’s Day 🙂
Thank you so much, Soni, and thanks for visiting!
I’m sure mom enjoyed this nice lemon meringue pie 🙂
★★★★
Aww… your relationship with your mom is adorable and so sweet! This pie looks deliciousss. If I can swipe at my screen to get a lick out of this pie…I would.
Thanks so much, Lynna! I wish I could taste the pie through the screen to as it is gone 🙁
Both your post and your recipe are so wonderful. I just love this. It made me do a double take of my own priorities today.
What a gorgeous pie! And a sweet letter to your mom
Thanks, Kim, and thanks for visiting 🙂
Nice picture of you and your mom! I wish my mom liked pies, I would totally make this for her!
wow…great pie could have eaten the whole thing…thanks
That looks luscious! Towering and proud, no doubt DELICIOUS! Great recipe for #SundaySupper!
Thanks, Dorothy, and thanks for visiting 🙂
This pie had a great taste. Sweet with a tangy bite. Great job I loved it.
★★★★
What a wonderful, honest, loving tribute to your mom, Laura! You look so much like her. The pie looks amazing- my mother-in-law would love this since it features her favourite dessert flavour : lemon. I hope the two of you had a wonderful Mother’s Day together.
Thanks, Nancy! We did have a great Mother’s Day!
Absolutely beautiful pie! I haven’t had lemon meringue in ages: unfortunately for me, my husband doesn’t like citrus desserts (like key lime pie, etc) and I do…I have to take advantage when I run across them at functions and restaurants! Or maybe I should just make an entire pie by myself….mmm
Yes, I’d make this (or any number of yummy citrus treats) and save it for yourself 🙂
I can only imagine the giant smile on your mother’s face when she read this post. What lovely words you wrote about her. I’m sure her smile was even bigger when she had the pie. What a great recipe.
Very cool post about your Mom. I’m sure she just LOVED reading it! I’ve never thought to use Lyle’s Golden Syrup in Italian Meringue, but it makes perfect sense. Sweet.
The golden syrup was amazing. It was not super sticky like Italian meringue usually is, but was fluffy and creamy. Amazing!
Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration. I agree with you, Mom should be celebrated day in day out, not just once a year on Mother’s day. 🙂 And this Lemon Meringue Pie is perfect for the occasion. 🙂 I made them last year on Mother’s Day too, but in mini-version. Thanks for sharing your.
Mini lemon meringue pies sound so good! Thanks, Amy!