Southern Living magazine recently had an enticing article on what they consider the PERFECT summer-time dessert—angel pie, to be precise. “The crust is a super delicate meringue that's crisp on the outside but marshmallow-y on the inside. It melts away on your tongue, airy but satisfying. The filling is bright, tart, and sweet—one any lemon lover will adore,” explained Kimberly Holland, Southern Living’s editorial director.

The final result? The perfect summer dessert. While it’s perfect for any season, actually, the light and fruity pie is especially welcome during summer's heat, which can make richer desserts a bit too much to handle.

This pie was considered a classic back in the 1940s and ‘50s. These were the decades of the chilled, no-bake sweets, and Angel Pie is making a big comeback! It’s considered an “icebox pie,” easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser.

“Easy to make” because the ingredients are few and simple: a meringue shell, tangy lemon filling, and whipped cream topping.

I probably should say it’s “easy to make” with a little caveat. Meringue can be tricky to nail, which is why professional bakes always add cream of tartar and cornstarch. The cream of tartar is a mild acid that helps stabilize the egg whites, giving them better volume and ensuring they don’t collapse when whipping. Cornstarch helps absorb excess moisture during baking and prevents the meringue from weeping. It's especially useful in hot, humid climates.

Once your meringue technique is nailed, then you can even experiment. This recipe takes switching up really well. To add your own unique twist to this classic dessert, consider these ingredient additions or substitutions:

Meringue crust: Fold in finely ground freeze-dried raspberries for additional flavor and color, cocoa powder for a chocolatey touch, or crushed nuts for a tasty texture.

Lemon curd: Swap the homemade curd for store-bought in a pinch, or whisk in a dollop of Greek yogurt, mascarpone, or crème fraîche for additional creaminess and tanginess. You can also use lime juice and zest or other types of citrus in the place of lemon if preferred.

Garnish: Garnish the pie with a drizzle of melted white chocolate, candied lemon slices, mint or basil leaves, edible flowers, cherries, and more before serving.

I want to conclude with Southern Living’s recipe, but first, let’s look at how to store any leftovers (which is really silly, because there won’t be any): Refrigerate any leftover pie in an airtight container for up to five days. You’ll notice the meringue will likely get softer over time.

Finally, if you want to make this dessert ahead, the curd can be made and refrigerated (with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface) up to a few days in advance. You can also prepare the meringue crust ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to two days before assembling the pie as directed.

Angel Pie

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornstarch plus more for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups sugar divided
3 large eggs separated, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract divided
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup fresh juice (from 2 lemons), plus more zest for garnish
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
2 1/2 cups heavy whipped cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
fresh blackberries
fresh raspberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornstarch; set aside.

Whisk together 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-low speed until frothy, about 1 minute.

Increase mixer speed to medium-high; beat until soft peaks begin to form, 1 to 3 minutes.

Gradually add sugar mixture to egg white mixture, beating until glossy, stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla, and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 5 seconds.

Spread meringue in an even layer on bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn off oven without removing meringue; let cool in oven until dried out (some cracks are okay), about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a medium saucepan until combined.

Add butter; cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer lemon curd to a medium bowl; cover surface directly using plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until completely cooled, 1 to 2 hours.

Beat cream, powdered sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.

Reserve 2 cups whipped cream for topping. Whisk 1 cup whipped cream into lemon curd until no lumps remain. Gently fold another 1 cup whipped cream into lemon curd mixture until no streaks remain; gently fold in remaining 1 cup whipped cream.

Spread mixture evenly in cooled meringue crust; spread reserved whipped cream evenly over top.

Refrigerate, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Garnish with blackberries, raspberries, and additional lemon zest.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.