Easy Lemon-Lime Pudding Pie

Late one weeknight, I had the idea to start making a citrus pie since I had a lot of already-zested lemons and limes looking pitiful and naked in a bowl in the fridge. Here's to deciding to cook something random at eleven o'clock on a school night!

I must have been feeling carefree (or just tired?) because I used a recipe* like it was a suggestion and just did my own thing...kind of daring it not to work. This is lemon-lime creation is right on the edge of tart enough to make you wonder a little bit about its suitability as a dessert. Which means it's just right.

Easy Lemon-Lime Filling

juice from 5 lemons

juice from 5 limes

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups milk (reduced-fat or even whole)

3 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)

1 tbsp. cornstarch, sifted

a pinch of sea salt

Combine in a saucepan on medium heat and stir or whisk constantly for about 10-15 minutes or until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.

Easy Graham Cracker Crust

one sleeve of grahams

1/3 cup soy margarine, melted

a pinch of sea salt

Crush the crackers in the wrapper. Pour them into a bowl with the margarine and salt and hand-mix until combined. Press into a pie plate and bake for 12 minutes. Set it aside and let it cool.

(Before you make the meringue below, pour cooled citrus pudding into cooled pie crust and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Middle will not be firm, so the pie needs to cool in fridge.)

Easy Meringue

3 egg whites

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tsp. cream of tartar

Use a stand mixer to combine until soft peaks form. Drop it onto cooled pie; the trick is for the pie and the meringue to be close to the same temperature before you bring them together.) Bake at 350 degrees until edges brown a bit -- about 10 minutes. Let pie cool on counter and then sit for a few hours in the fridge or overnight before serving.

(*Reading a lemon pie recipe in this cookbook is what really inspired me. As I'm turning the pages, I start to think, Hey, what about an acorn squash pie? And of course, Martha's already got it covered. She's just that awesome.)