Page 110 - United States of Pie

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of kosher salt
½ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the filling: Combine the milk and sugar in a medium-size
saucepan. Bring the mixture to almost simmering over medium heat,
stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set
aside.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon
zest, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk until smooth. To temper the
yolks, add about ½ cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolk mixture,

and whisk until smooth. Then slowly pour the yolk mixture into the
remaining milk mixture. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil
over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should thicken
substantially and coat the back of a spoon.
Pour the custard into a bowl, and stir in the butter and the vanilla.
Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to

prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool to room temperature.
Then refrigerate the custard. (The filling can be prepared up to 1 day
in advance.)
Prepare the pie shell: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough until it is about /8-inch
1
thick and will fit a 9-inch pie plate. Gently pick up the dough, center it
over the pie plate, and ease it into the plate. Trim the edges of the

dough to leave a 1-inch overhang. Fold the edges under, and then
decoratively crimp the perimeter.