Sugar Free Lemon Meringue Pie

I like a lemon meringue pie for Christmas dessert. It's a bright, cheery dessert...a nice reminder that we are past the shortest day of the year, and that the sun is with us (however imperceptibly) a little bit longer each day. Afterall, isn't that what these mid-winter holidays are for? To get us through the winter doldrums, to help us cast our thoughts forward to spring?

And those thoughts, along with the meringue, remind me of my mother. She always looked forward to the shortest day of the year because it gave her hope during those hideous Wisconsin winters. Meringues (not pie, just meringues, usually with strawberries and whipped cream for toppings) were one of her signature desserts at Christmas time.

I found this recipe on-line, but I'm not linking to it b/c it's the single worst written recipe I've ever come across. The ingredients are listed in an indecipherable jumble...not in the order of preparation, and the directions are worse--no differentiation of when to use the duplicated ingredients. And then there are the two ingredients mentioned in the directions, but not shown on the ingredient list at all. Gotta love it.

At any rate, here's the recipe, translation by Patty:

Filling
1 1/2 c. Splenda
2 T flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. water
4 egg yolks
1/3 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (not fresh is okay, but as always, fresh will be MUCH better)
1 T. butter

Pre-baked 9" pie crust, cooled.

Meringue topping
4 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. cornstarch
1/2 c. Splenda
1 t. vanilla extract

Mix Splenda, flour, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Add water and mix well (whisk, if necessary, to eliminate lumps). Whisk egg yolks, stir into water/Splenda mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is quite thick. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and butter. Mix well (I ended up with some lumps, so I used my whisk to get rid of them.) Pour filling into pie crust. Allow to cool while preparing the meringue.

In medium sized mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add remaining ingredients and continue beating until slightly stiff peaks form. Swirl over pie filling, making sure to touch the edges of the crust all the way around.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool before serving.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Now let's start planning our gardens!