Lemon Pie Failure

Lest you look at this blog and start inaptly using the word "gourmet," here are some pictures of my recent lemon pie failure and a bit of background on what inspired me to make it. 

A few weeks ago, I went to San Fran with these cool nerds:

And tried a few very inventive pies at this aptly named shop:

Including an apple and green chile pie, which was a fun little culinary adventure (despite the fact that I love green chiles, I still think it's sacrilege to adulterate the Classic Apple). And this raspberry and nectarine pie:

The bakers did not bother peeling the nectarines, so the pie was a bit of a disappointment.

And bought matching hats with my sister, because why bother pretending we're not complete dorks (despite her high-school-cheerleader blondeness)?

And to finally get to the point, got some lovely Meyer lemons from a tree in my friend's backyard. I felt inspired to make a lemon pie, even though I've consistently failed in my attempts to make it.  When I was 11 or 12, I first attempted to make lemon meringue pie. It was a disaster but led to one of my best childhood memories. The pie came out of the oven an unappetizing shade of brown. Nevertheless, my dad enthusiastically ate a virtually inedible slice of pie, insisting it was quite delicious. What a supportive father.   

Anyway, I'm not going to bother posting the whole recipe because it was a disaster. I used a food network recipe, but I should have known better. I don't think they vet their recipes. The lemon curd was made with whole eggs rather than egg yolks; despite my misgivings about this, I foolishly made this recipe anyway. In my limited experience making cream or curd pies, the filling includes only egg yolks. 

I zested three lemons.

And juiced six lemons, until I had about 3/4 of a cup of lemon juice.

Then mixed the lemon juice and zest with five eggs, 1 1/3 cups of sugar, and a pinch of salt.

And whisked it together. I felt pretty confident at this point because it looked and smelled lovely.

Then whisked the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding 1 1/2 sticks of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it thickened.

And then I got really excited because it looked like this:

Then I placed it in a 300 degree oven. According to the recipe, it was supposed to set up in 15 minutes. The filling would not set up at all. I left it in the oven for an hour, checking periodically. By the time it finally set up, the top had burned, so it came out looking like this:

I was so bummed that the pie burned, in part because making this pie was my idea of a fun Saturday night. Somehow I convinced myself that I'm not completely lame because at least I was listening to good music - the Brand New Heavies. 

One of my former collegues says I will not be a real baker until I can successfully make a lemon pie.  I will do it...one of these days.