“I love anything with lemon, and this pie is that delicious combination of tart and sweet with a crispy crust. My mother made a great lemon meringue pie, but hers was not a mile high. I wanted mine to be more special, so I added extra egg whites — to make the topping higher — and sugar to make it sweeter. Comfort food is something you’d eat standing at the refrigerator with a spoon — and simply can’t stop eating. I probably could devour this entire pie all by myself…and I’m really not kidding.”

• 1 recipe pate brisee (recipe follows)
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• ⅔ cup sifted cake flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 recipe meringue (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface roll one single crust of the pate brisee into a circle that’s ⅛ inch thick and transfer to a 9-inch pie tin. Trim and crimp edges decoratively, then chill until firm. Prick bottom of the shell with a fork, line with parchment paper, and add pie weights or dried beans; bake until edges begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights; continue baking until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes more. Let cool.
2. For filling, combine cornstarch, cake flour, salt, sugar, lemon juice, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then cook until it becomes very thick and almost translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. Return pan to low heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
4. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter. Transfer to a bowl set over ice water and let mixture cool, stirring occasionally. Pour into cooled crust; cover and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
5. Prepare meringue, then pile on top of pie and spread evenly so that it touches crust all around. Broil until brown, about 2 minutes, watching constantly to avoid burning. Serve at room temperature. Serves 8 to 10.

Pate Brisee

In the bowl of a food processor combine 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, add ¼ to ½ cup ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; don’t process more than 30 seconds. Divide dough into 2 equal balls, wrap each in plastic wrap and flatten. Refrigerate 1 hour before using or freeze up to 1 month. Makes one 9-inch double crust or two single crusts.

Meringue

Combine 7 egg whites, ¾ cup sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Beat until warm and sugar is dissolved. Remove bowl from heat and whip mixture to stiff peaks.