My mom was the unofficial baker-in-chief of our family. She baked birthday cakes for every kid and made all kinds of desserts for family gatherings. Of all the treats my mom made, lemon meringue pie was my favorite. Here’s her recipe:

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 400 gr (about 3.5 cups) of self-raising flour (if that isn’t available, use regular flour and add 1 tbsp baking powder)
• 200 gr. salted butter (1 ¾ cups – almost two sticks) at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp of vanilla or lemon zest

For the filling:

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz,)
• 4 yolks
• Juice of 3 fresh lemons (about ¾ cup)

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 8 tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp cream tartar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 350F.
2. Make the dough: Cream together egg, butter, sugar, and vanilla (or lemon zest). Add flour slowly while mixing with one hand. Do not knead or overmix.
3. Line your pie dish with the dough by patching little pieces of it together onto the dish. Make sure the dough isn’t too thick (about ¼ inch).
4. Bake for about 15 minutes.
5. Make the filling: separate the yolks and the egg whites. Combine the yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well.
6. Pour the filling on the dough and bake again for about 10 minutes.
7. Make the meringue: beat the four egg whites (and optional cream tartar) while sprinkling one tablespoon of sugar at a time. Beat until it forms soft peaks.
8. Add the meringue on top of the pie and spread gently with a rubber spatula, making peaks. You may instead pipe the meringue for a more decorative finish and to form more perfect peaks.
9. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the peaks turn golden brown.
10. Serve at room temperature.