Lemon or Lime meringue pie

The word, 'meringue', is said to have come from the city of Meiringen in the Emmen Valley in Switzerland where cruncy egg white cookies filled with chocolate cream were served after festive dinners. foreign guests who could not pronounce the name, 'meiringerli', changed it to meringues.

For the pie:
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups boiling water
7 jumbo or 8 extra large egg yolks
3/4 cup Key lime, Persian lime, or freshly squeezed lemon juice
Baked and cooled 10 inch pie crust

1. Sift the cornstarch with the sugar and salt into a 2 quart heavy pot or the top of a double boiler. Pour the boiling water in slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth, thick and creamy.
2. Beat the yolks with a whisk until blended. Slowly add some of the hot mixture to them. (This is an important step to keep the eggs from 'scrambling'). Stir mixture back into the pot and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until very thick. Stir in lime or lemon juice and continue stirring until mixture is thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Spoon into the baked pie crust and refrigerate until very cold.

Meringue:
7 jumbo or 8 extra large egg whites, room temperature or warmer
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cr. of tartar

1. Sift together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
2. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add cr. of tartar. Add sugar mixture a tablesoon at a time, beating on high speed until thick and glossy, approximately 5-6 minutes.
3. Cover the top of the pie with the meringue, bringing it up into peaks with a spoon. Or, pipe rosettes with a fluted tube. Place under the broiler to brown.

Note: The addition of cornstarch in the whites keeps them from 'weeping' when refrigerated.

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