Best Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

Now who doesn’t love lemon meringue pie – yes many of us had some if we went to the diner – but that is not necessarily the real deal. If you want to know how to make a great lemon meringue pie that is quick, affordable and always works – this is the recipe for you! So what are we waiting for…. let me get typing!

I have seen a lot of versions out there, but a recipe that doesn’t use lemon zest to me is really not a real lemon meringue pie – the added zest and fresh lemon juice with a little pulp really makes this pie truly tart and sweet simultaneously and after making few of these pies you will see there really is no effort at all to making fantastic great authentic lemon meringue pie just like your grandmother used to bake for special occasions.

Ingredients:
1 baked pie shell cooled
3 large eggs separated (easier when done while eggs are still cold)
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 teaspoons grated lemon rind
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice with some pulp
1 cup white sugar for lemon filling
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
***for meringue:
6 tablespoons of Super Fine white sugar for meringue
dash of salt for meringue
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tarter – to stabilize egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for meringue
*****
Equipment Needed:
Double boiler, mix master such as kitchen aid or hand mixer, whisk

Directions:

1. To double boiler add all of the following: cornstarch, salt, 1/2 cup of the white sugar, mix till combined then add water and stir.
2. Cook over boiling water until thick stirring constantly.
3. Then cover with lid and let cook for ten minutes.
4. Combine egg yolks and rest of sugar into a bowl – stir till combined and add a little of the hot mixture to the egg yolks to temper them. Then add egg yolks to hot mixture and stir.
5. Turn off heat yet stir mixture for 2 minutes.
6. Remove double boiler from hot water, and place on trivet or counter where it is safe. While still hot, stir in butter, lemon rind, lemon juice and pure lemon extract.
7. Let cool to room temperature – without stirring and NEVER cool in fridge! Keep lid off so that steam can escape.
8. Once cooled, pour into baked pie shell and cover with meringue. Make sure all mixture is covered with the meringue – and place on the middle rack of your oven about 15 minutes at 325 degrees or until the meringue is lightly browned. Serve it up that night!
9. *****
10. To Make Meringue:
11. Make sure your bowl, beaters are super clean void of any grease from previous uses. Add egg whites to bowl and start to beat.
12. Once eggs have started to be white and frothy, add sugar gradually. You might want to keep beating speed on medium or medium low so that your egg whites can dissolve the sugar. This is an imperative step that will help prevent your meringue from ‘weeping’ later on in the day as it sits for getting ready to be eaten.
13. For those of us that have kitchen aids – note, this process can be quicker than we realize being that these sort of mixers are super quick. So it is ok to beat slowly at first, so that the sugar has had the time to dissolve in the egg whites.
14. Continue beating until smooth and add vanilla extract.
15. To ensure all sugar has been dissolved, put a little on your fingers and rub them (as if you were making a snap) if you feel any bits of sugar, you will need to keep beating until smooth – so be careful not to over beat your meringue – which is why I suggested to beat at a medium speed.
16. Once meringue is shiny and peaks form, your ready to top your pie.

Quick Rich Biscuit Topping and Chicken Pot Pie

Light, airy, super fluffy inside with a crunchie top rich biscuit ‘topping’ is quick and easy to make has your casseroles and related dishes alike will have a new leash on life. I needed a topping for a chicken pot pie I made the other night, and didn’t want to make a pastry – rich biscuit topping was my alternative I turned to – I also didn’t wish to make it completely from scratch. So I altered a from scratch recipe to create this take on rich biscuit topping...Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups of self rising flour or Bisquick which is what I used.
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup or more of whole milk
5 tablespoons melted butter – yes butter. (I used unsalted)
1 casserole or chicken pot pie type dish needing a biscuit topping.
Oven at 375-400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Directions:

Measure out dry ingredients and place into bowl.
Add milk and egg and stir.
Add melted butter and add to mixture. Stir till well combined.
I did not roll this out nor did it touch a board, but rather grabbed it into my hands and patted it out gently in my hands as if I was starting to work a pizza pie dough – throwing gently back and forth to help ’stretch it’.
The dough is not terribly too sticky yet it is wet enough with the butter (enough to kill a small horse) that it should be very easy and quick to pat out , not stick to your hands and then simply place on top of your casserole dish.
Bake in hot oven for 25-30 minutes and serve it up.

Other great uses, if you were to add 1/2 cup more of the Bisquick, you could easily pat these out, and cut out actual biscuits, bake them in a hot oven for 23-25 minutes at 400 degrees and you got yourself some delicious sky high biscuits! Now I am calling this real biscuit love.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a take on an old favorite that so many of us grew up with. This version makes great use of left over chicken you may have. Since I had made a big roaster chicken and basted it up with my hoisin and lemon marinade -I had enough left over to make three other dishes. So here is the recipe for one good and true chicken pot pie.

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons chicken fat or butter
• 1 onion diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 cup peas (frozen – and slightly thawed)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• salt and pepper
• 2 to 3 cups cooked chicken up into bite-sized chunks
• 2 cups chicken stock – or for a creamier sauce – use 1 cup milk and 1 cup stock
• 1/2 teaspoon each of celery and/or onion salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees
2. In skillet, sautee diced onions, carrots, and celery for 8 minutes or until onions are soft.
3. Add flour and stir until blended.
4. Slowly add stock/milk liquid and over low heat, stir until thickened.
5. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Add celery salt or onion salt if you would like along with a shake of dried red chili peppers.
6. In casserole dish add cut up chicken and peas – and stir till combined. Add sauce and stir once more till combined.
7. Top with rich biscuit topping (recipe above) or pie pastry – make sure to make ’slits’ in pie pastry to allow steam to escape. If using the rich biscuit topping, you can have it not cover the casserole completely leaving some space on the sides (which is what I did) so that the steam can escape out the sides of your casserole (see photos).
8. Place your casserole into oven, and let bake for 30 minutes on the middle rack of your oven.
9. Put large cookie sheet or tin foil on rack below, to prevent any scorching on your oven floor from any boiled over drippings of your sauce – makes cleaning up a cinch!
10. Serve your chicken pot pie and enjoy with a fresh salad.

New Yorker Gumbo – How to Make Great Gumbo

This article and gumbo recipe was created out of necessity. To start with, making Gumbo was the given answer to my asked questions of “what the heck to do next with a leftover roasted chicken to other well-seasoned foodies, and secondly, I needed to learn a little thing or two about Gumbo making and creating. I learned a lot and I thought so highly of the dish and about Gumbo I had to share it with you.

I may have been born in the south, but moved up north long before I began to teethe, so I never got to try authentic gumbo when I lived down South. That has never stopped me though, to eat and try several gumbos in my life up until now. A few nights ago, I made my first gumbo – I was visiting a friendly food website called Grouprecipes.com where we all share in our recipe and food stories and I had left over chicken from the lemon hoisin roasted chicken I had made the night before.

So I put a question out to the other foodies, what can I do with left over chicken – to my surprise and to their generosity, I received lots of ideas – make chicken pot pie, chicken salad, chicken quesadilla but one idea in particular stood out: Make a Gumbo.

Now, I knew I never tried making gumbo before and I knew enough that it is all about the roux. I read several recipes that night and learned there are as many gumbo recipes out there as there are excellent cooks who really know how to make not only the perfect roux for gumbo, but the best gumbo out there their side of their county.

History of Gumbo:
Now what the heck is gumbo I thought and where did this dish come from, what was its history? Gumbo is always served with rice and always is thickened while dark in its color (not like the color of a chicken pot pie filling). I primarily knew it as not only a popular dish from the South but that Gumbo is a huge staple signature dish of Southerners, many who will share their Gumbo with you with their Southern hospitality at any time but will covet their recipe and keep that a secret and that’s the truth.

I also learned during my research is that there is some disparity in the history as to whether this gumbo dish is of creole or cajun origin or even if it was a take off from the bouillabaisse (think fish stew) that the French Settlers loved. Recall the Louisiana Purchase from your history class? The French Settlers story suggests that since some of the ingredients were not readily available that they were used to having in their beloved bouillabaisse, the French Settlers substituted from the local fare, and after a hundred years, this dish turned into it’s own signature stew which we now know as Gumbo.

Though the more popular history is that Gumbo takes its’ history from West African Cooking since the word gumbo is derived from the word, “okra” which was not only introduced to America by West Africans, but as it was then and as it is now, Okra is still used to thicken ‘gumbo’ in many recipes. This is far closer to the truth of the origin of Gumbo and many of the related recipes still continue to use okra as an additional thickener along with the roux.

Furthermore, Gumbo is a particular important food of choice during Mardi Gras, and most beloved chefs of gumbo regardless of class, status or selected choice of ingredients will make Gumbo on a fairly regular basis.

There are several main types of Gumbo: chicken and sausage, seafood and all vegetarian. But do note, you will see a huge combination of ingredients as well as different recipes for Gumbo as you peruse for Gumbo ideas out there in cyber land. And although it is a one pot ‘Cajun’ or ‘Creole’ communal concoction, it can contain as many or as few main ingredients but it all begins with a well-made roux.

So what in the world in a roux?
Roux is a thickener, and is used to make everything from pan gravy, sauces to the obvious point here Gumbo. Roux is a mixture of oil/butter and flour, slowly cooked almost always in the same pot the gumbo will be cooked in. This mixture is cooked slowly over the stove top until it is (depending upon recipe I noticed) milk chocolate color to dark chocolate color – but never burnt! I ready many times, if the roux is burnt, throw out and start again. Also interesting, the time it might take for the roux to get its color can be anywhere from 12-60 minutes all depending upon your pan, the heat under it and even the type of oil and shortening you use. Imagine, stirring for the length of time of 60 minutes. Yikes! But I am sure there are few Gumbo Perfectionists out there that swear (if they were to share) that is takes them no less than 30 minutes to make their roux.

Lastly about the roux, I did noticed that I took it slowly, and at about 17 minutes, the roux quickly turned the correct color – it was all of the sudden – I note this in particular, since nothing seemed to be happening, and as soon as I turned my whisk over to the boyfriend, it quickly happened – so be forewarned. Since it is obvious and stated in many recipes, you do not want to burn the stuff – but the cooked and browned roux is what the base of any great gumbo is. After that, it’s all downhill as for the ease in making your gumbo.

So, I wanted not only to make Gumbo tonight, but being me, I will happily share my recipe, the flavors were complex, the gumbo thick, and with the extra effort needed, it was sure well worth all of it. The list of ingredients (for the Gumbo Purists especially) please forgive my New York nature as this recipe will contain some ‘Italian’ known ingredients minus the beloved okra, but it made for one heck of a Gumbo I am proud to serve and have named my recipe The New Yorker Gumbo!

This is a dish you might want to make on a weekend, since fresh broth really makes the dish, and the needed time it might take you to get the roux perfect – so let’s get to it already! But it really only took a total of an hour and half – but I am sure the longer you cook your Gumbo, the better it is.

In saving some time, important tips to remember:

• Sliced up the bacon and Italian sausages (except for the suprasatta) is easier if they are slightly frozen.
• I cooked up my bacon, then the sausages all the while as the broth was being made as I chopped up my vegetables. This allowed me to have the necessary time to pay sole attention to the roux creating process.
• If you burn your roux, stop, wash out your pan and start again – I have read this too many times in all the recipes I read so this really is important – as your Gumbo will taste burnt.
• The seasoned ‘oil’ from the left over cooked bacon and sausage really also made a nice addition to the flavors in using simple olive oil or butter. I poured out all the oil left from the cooked meats, then remeasured and put back that which was needed to create the roux.
• You should make your Gumbo along with the roux in a heavy deep soup crock for best results.
• I know, that’s one long list of ingredients below. Believe it or not, I had all of this available to me in my cupboards and fridge when I made my Gumbo, so some of you might have to shop a little, but again as I mentioned – this dish is so incredible you will be hooked!

Ingredients:

• 2-4 cups cooked riced (warm and set aside ready for serving when the time comes)
• 2 cups fresh chicken and shrimp broth (the how to’s are below)
• 1-1/2 cup cut up cooked breast of chicken
• 4 sweet italian sausages – sliced thin
• 2 hot italian sausages – sliced thin
• 2 inches or more of sweet or hot suprasatta sausage (thinly sliced and cut into fourths) (Found in your Italian Deli’s – you can have them slice it or do it yourself at home, just make sure if there is a ’skin’ – it’s been removed)
• 6 slices of bacon (thick sliced is best)
• 2-3 large shrimp per person de-veined but with tails and shells still on
• 1 large onion
• 1 big red sweet pepper
• 2 green sweet peppers
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce can)
• 1 small can of tomato paste (6 ounce can)
• 4 shakes of red chili flakes
• several shakes each of Tabasco & Franks hot sauce
• 1/2 cup good red wine
• 1-1/2 tablespoons ‘better than bouillon’ beef flavor – it is a thick paste and basis for broths – found in the soup section of your grocery stores – and comes in a variety of flavors.
• 2 cups water (if you are not using the broth)
• 1-2 tablespoons salt
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons bacon and sausage fat
• 4 (+) cloves of garlic – freshly minced
• 3 scallions minced
• 1 teaspoon all spice (whole seed pods – preferred)
• 1 teaspoon or more cumin
• 1 teaspoon of old bay seasonings
• 2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
• 2 bay leafs
• 2 or 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

Make your broth, add whole chicken breasts, or chicken parts, one bay leaf, a cut up carrot, a cut of stalk of celery, sage, a couple of whole all spice ’seeds’, salt and pepper. Once boiling, add whole shrimp (with heads if you can find them) Let boil three minutes, then take out shrimp immediately and set shrimp aside.
Once shrimp has cooled enough to handle, remove shells, heads and return all shells, heads and tails back into your broth and let it continue to cook on simmer.
While your broth is cooking away, let’s get going on the meats for your Gumbo.
Slice up your bacon, and add a drizzle of olive oil into your cold pan that you are to make your gumbo in. Cook bacon. Once cooked, spoon out bacon.
Add all sliced thin sausages into pan and let brown, turning them over now and then. Once browned, set aside.
While your bacon and sausages are cooking, cut up the onions, peppers.

Pour off all oil left in pan, then measure oil to have the needed 4 tablespoons of oil/fat and put back into your pan. Add your 4 tablespoons flour slowly. Over medium heat, stir with a whisk.

While cooking your roux over a med-low heat, whisking constantly, for roughly 12 to 15 minutes, until it turns the color of rich milk chocolate. This may take longer – try not to rush things by putting the heat up high – you will simply end up burning the flour.

Once roux is at the right color, add the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and all of the ‘dry’ seasonings to the roux and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes or until the vegetables turn tender.
Add the diced tomatoes from the can including all its juices along with the tomato paste.
Add the drained chicken/shrimp stock and all remaining wet ingredients such as the worcestershire sauce and hot sauces.

Add the smoked sausage and cut into chunks of cooked chicken and continue cooking for about 60 minutes at least, stirring occasionally. Don’t forget the bay leaves. Add any and all other ingredients not already added to your gumbo in the making.

Add cooked shrimp to Gumbo 3-5 minutes before serving to warm through.
Serve up your gumbo and pour over your rice. Top with fresh cilantro and make sure some extra hot sauce is available to those who like the extra kick.

Interesting Gumbo-related Links and Sources for this Article:

• http://whatscookingamerica.net/Soup/GumboSeafood.htm
• http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/GumboHistory.htm
• http://www.gumbocity.com/

As always feel free to leave your comments, ask questions and share your ideas. I look forward to hearing from you! -Divaliscious (aka Leah Quinn).

Leah Quinn is a writer specializing on food, health, well being and entertainment and is a multi-media artist living in New York. Stop by her food site to learn many more healthy and interesting recipes at http://dinner-and-jam.blogspot.com and to find links to her other sites and blogs such as The Daily Rant and Rave or Simply Divaliscious.

Divaliscious Chili – How to make great tasting chili

I happened to be adding food photos to my flickr account when I barely had a chili photo up and someone messaged me for the recipe – when I looked at this blog, I thought I had already posted it – hence it was only on my grouprecipes.com page – so here it is folks, you asked for it, you got it. Divaliscious Chili.

This is a great to freeze, since it is not difficult to make – and you end up with making a large amount – so freeze half.

The wonderful gentle heat you get from this chili and its’ amazing zest and taste comes from 5 different heat sources, making this chili complex and affecting every inch of your tongue without burning it. This is my version of everyone’s favorite super bowl party dish – though it’s not just for Super Bowls! Easy, fast and even better the next day! This one is not too spicy, but is fresh looking and tasting with bright flavors. This is not your mom’s canned version if she dared to do such as thing to you when you were young!!!

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef – at room temperature (or at least 30 minutes out of the fridge – don’t “shock your meat kids” – sounds naughty doesn’t it? lol)
4 fresh Italian sausages (2 sweet & 2 hot)
1 large onion – diced
1 med. Bermuda onion – diced
4-5 fresh garlic cloves – minced
4 stalks of scallions – minced/sliced
2 large green sweet peppers
2 large red sweet peppers
OR switch out 2 of the peppers for other colors if your budget can afford it – such as orange and yellow – chili looks incredibly amazing when you do this and doesn’t affect the taste any.
4-6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 jalapeño pepper – minced with out seeds as they add even more heat (add more peppers if you like it hotter – keep seeds in if you are a football player)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
28oz or less Water from rinsed out tomato cans (see below)
3 cans dark kidney beans
2 cans of your choice beans (I used 1 can of black beans and 1 can of roman beans for added interest this time)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
3/4 tablespoons pepper (freshly ground preferred)
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly dried oregano
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon dried cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
6 good shakes of Tabasco sauce
3 good shakes of hot sauce
2 bay leaves

Directions

Put large pot on stove and add ½ of olive oil (say about 3 tablespoons) and put heat on under pot.
Add diced onions (both bermuda and spanish/white)
Saute on medium heat stirring occasionally and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Add cumin, fresh ground pepper , chili flakes to cooking onions. I like these spices to heat up, so that their flavor’s are enhanced before adding the meat to brown.
Add sliced sausages and continue cooking till onions are looking translucent.
Add freshly minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add room-temperature ground beef, stir frequently, and “break down” meat so you have no large “clumps” – some clumps ok, but not huge chunks.
Add additional olive oil only if needed.
While meat is browning, take colander and place in sink.
Open up each can of beans and place into the colander that should be in the sink by now.
Run water over beans thoroughly, so that all that surgery juice has been rinsed off.
Check pot, if meat is completely cooked and not looking pink, add 1/3 cup of the balsamic vinegar.
Don’t have balsamic? You can substitute red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or heck red wine – you want the acidity here folks, or the juice of one lemon – it will add the brightness to your chili that I discussed earlier.
When adding your acidic liquid of your choice (balsamic vinegar preferred), scrape bottom of pot with spoon to lift up those little extras what I call “flavor-enhancers” that were created from the caramelized onions and sausages browning.
Add all the now rinsed beans from the colander to the pot.
Next add the entire contents of the 2 large cans of tomatoes (1 crushed and 1 diced)
Take each emptied can of tomatoes and add water to each to fill by half.
Swirl gently around getting any last bits of those tomato juices and place this water as well into stock pot.
Add all remaining ingredients expect for one green pepper and one red pepper.
You will add these peppers during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Stir gently over medium heat till it starts to boil.
Lower heat to a simmer or extra low and place lid on top of pot.
Let simmer for an hour at least. I let it simmer for over 2 hours or more.
Stirring every 20 minutes or when your up getting yourself another beer during your super bowl party.
30 minutes prior to serving, or If you are reheating the next day, since you made this the day before your party, add the additional green and red peppers 30 minutes before serving. This will help brighten the colors and the peppers will have a little crunch to them.
Serve this with tortilla chips, additional fresh minced chives on top of each bowl, grated cheese of your choice, and a dollop of sour cream. Voila, you are now a chili master.

Coming up on my next post – Gumbo…

So thank again my flickr friend from the bottom of my chili bowl! It you hadn’t ask for the recipe, I would never have known it wasn’t posted here!

As always feel free to leave your comments, ask questions and share your ideas. I look forward to hearing from you! -Divaliscious (aka Leah Quinn).

Leah Quinn is a writer specializing on food, health, well being and entertainment and is a multi-media artist living in New York. Stop by her food site to learn many more healthy and interesting recipes at http://dinner-and-jam.blogspot.com and to find links to her other sites and blogs.