This is only the second pie I've made from my Martha Stewart summer of pies magazine article. Making them all may have a been a bit ambitious, but this was a good one!
Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart
For the crust
Vegetable oil cooking spray
9 to 10 graham crackers, broken into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
Salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup strained fresh lemon juice
2 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue), plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Coarse salt
For the topping
12 ounces strawberries, sliced (2 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites, room temperature
- Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- Pulse crackers in a food processor until finely ground; measure 1 1/3 cups, and discard excess.
- Pulse cracker crumbs, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor to combine.
- Add butter, and pulse until mixture is moist and holds together when pressed between 2 fingers.
- Press crust evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate using the bottom of a dry measuring cup.
- Freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 while crust freezes.
- Bake crust until firm and turning darker around edges, 10 to 11 minutes.
- While crust bakes, start the filling. Whisk together condensed milk, lemon juice, egg yolks and egg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Remove crust from oven, and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- Pour filling into warm piecrust. Bake until center is set, 25 to 30 minutes. (Note: I baked mine longer, probably closer to 35 - 40 min, I think my pie plate was smaller than 9 inches and therefore deeper!)
- Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- To make the topping, slice up the strawberries and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar and the lemon juice.
- Give a stir and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat egg whites and remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. (Note: If you're worried about making meringue from raw egg whites, heat the egg whites to 160 at this point while you dissolve the sugar! I didn't bother checking the temp so I don't know if mind really got to 160, but I've safely made meringues and swiss meringue buttercream frosting using this method before!)
- Transfer to mixer, and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, 8 to 9 minutes.
- Position an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the broiler while your meringue whips.
- Spoon strawberries over pie.
- Spoon meringue over top of strawberries and place pie under broiler AND DON'T LEAVE IT until meringue is just browned.
- Eat the pie!
