My Sweetheart (Neil) makes the best lemon-meringue pie. He's been making it since he was young. He and his brother kept wanting them and their mom told them to start making them themselves, and whomever made the pie, got half! Long funny stories go along with that. I'm not permitted to make his pie, because that's his claim to fame, although I will say it is VERY similar to ginger st thomas', except he doesn't use food coloring. Heaven forbid I do the meringue. That's a work of art in itself..lol. What I wanted to suggest is his crust. He makes it with a graham cracker crust and not pastry (I am allowed to make that part). At first I thought he was nuts, but I tell you what... once you've had the pie with a graham crust, you'll wonder why you liked it so much with pastry. Give it a try. I think you'll be surprised. It is now expected that we show up with his pie to everyone's home we're invited to. While Neil is thrilled about that (you know how men like to strut), it also keeps him from eating half and having to settle for one piece like everyone else. Poor baby. Great having a guy who loves to cook, too, finally. Let me know what you think! Have a great weekend...

I would speculate that the pudding base was not cooked to a full, yet gentle, boil before the eggs were added. I make chocolate pudding all the time for hubs, as it is his go to favorite. It is much the same process of making a thickened pudding base before adding the eggs. Once the base comes to a boil, let it cook gently for a couple of minutes until it thickens up, but do account for the fact that it is going to get thicker as it sets up. Then add in the eggs and I generally bring it back to a very gentle boil ,briefly If you continue cooking that with the eggs in it, it is going to do some strange things to the eggs. After all, this is not really a custard pie such as a pumpkin or a buttermilk where it gets baked in the oven. I have a recipie from an old Betty Crocker book that uses both cornstarch and flour in egual measure. I like it better than just corn starch. It seems to give some extra body to the pie, but it doesnt taste at all floury. My difficulty is with the meringue... I cant seem to make one that does not end up weeping. You might try adding in a couple of tablespoons of flour along with the starch. I think it makes a nice difference and I have never had any problem with it not setting up. But, really, cook it until if has thickened BEFORE adding the eggs, and bring it back to a gentle boil very briefly after the eggs. I bet that solves the problem.

Here is Ann Landers' Lemon Meringue Pie recipe: Ann Landers' Best Ever Lemon Pie And Meringue CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com Serves/Makes: 8 : Difficulty Level: 3 : Ready In: 1-2 hrs Ingredients: 1 baked 9-inch pie shell 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 6 tablespoons cornstarch 2 cups water 1/3 cup lemon juice 3 egg yolks 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 2 teaspoons vinegar 3 tablespoons butter ***Never-Fail Meringue*** 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons cold water 1/2 cup boiling water 3 egg whites 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pinch of salt Directions: Mix sugar and cornstarch together in the top of a double boiler. Add the two cups of water. Combine egg yolks with lemon juice and beat until well mixed. Add to the rest of the sugar mixture. Cook over boiling water until thick -- about 25 minutes. This does away with the starchy taste. Now add the lemon extract, butter and vinegar, and stir thoroughly. Pour mixture into deep 9-inch pie shell, and let cool. Cover with meringue, and brown in oven. Never-Fail Meringue Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan. Add boiling water, and cook, stirring until clear and thickened. Let stand until COMPLETELY cold. With electric beater at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar, and beat until stiff but not dry. Turn mixer to low speed; add salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture. Turn mixer again to high, and beat well. Spread meringue over cooled pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned. This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com

I've used this recipe for at least 35 years and it's worked every time; I have made it with lemons and limes both. If you had trouble with mixing ingredients, one thing I do is to mix the cornstarch thoroughly with the sugar before adding the 1/2 cups of water and citrus juice. That way you don't get intractable lumps of corn starch. I then use a whisk to mix in the 3 egg yolks (again, to get it well mixed). I cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly until it starts to boil and becomes thick, then put it on low for the one minute. Another thing with cornstarch is that if you overcook it, it can fail to set. From what you describe, though, it does not sound like you overcooked it....