Orange Meringue Pie

Preheat oven to 325° F. Separate eggs. If you don’t have fine sugar, toss sugar into a food processor for several seconds.

In a small saucepan, stir together constarch, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until thickened (about 3 to 5 minutes). Allow to cool.

Sprinkle cream of tartar over the egg whites, and whip until foamy. Add the cornstarch mixture. Whip while slowly adding the 6 tablespoons of sugar. Continue whipping until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.

In a medium saucepan, combine orange juice, sections, grated rind, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook on low heat until clear.

Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in ½ cup of hot mixture. Whisk yolk mixture back into remaining orange mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook, strirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat and blend in butter and lemon juice. Pour filling into baked pie shell.

While the pie filling is still hot, starting from the crust edge working inward, spread the meringue over the top, being sure to seal the crust edge. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Allow to cool at least 1 hour, and then refrigerate. Pie should chill at least 2 hours before serving so that the custard layer is set.

The stabilized meringue should not separate and may weep less, but it is less tender than the French meringue used in the lemon meringue pie recipe. If serving this pie the same day, you may prefer the French meringue to this stabilized version.