FAMILY SECRETS and a mile-high MERINGUE TOPPING for Lemon Pie

Recipes . . .  as closely guarded family secrets . . .  Are they a thing of the past?  It seemed, when I was young, that you weren’t a real cook unless you had at least a few such recipes that others coveted but you would never share.

      Gale and myself;  early 1970s                                              

I still remember, with longing, a cauliflower dish, covered with a thick, golden, cheesy topping, that my friend Gale Stansfield flaunted at dinner parties and I have never been able to reproduce.

My cousin, Lily Maksymic, makes Lemon Pie with an amazing meringue topping--  she was hesitant to share, at first, but here it is, a secret Family recipe.  J

MACSYMES FAMILY MERINGUE TOPPING

        From The Family Sweet Tooth” , a cookbook produced for a reunion of the Macsymes family in Wishart, Saskatchewan

3 egg whites

1 tbsp ice cold water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

¼ tsp baking powder

·        Beat egg whites and cold water until soft peaks form.

·        Mix dry ingredients together and add to egg whites & beat to a stiff meringue.

·        Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Lemon Pie  --  it’s hard for anyone to resist – in fact, it’s Karen’s favourite.

                                                        Karen (1960s)