Cold Lemon Pie

With our holiday culinary indulgences securely transferred to our
hips and bellies as we closed out 1998, it’s time to lighten the fare
a bit, so we offer you 31 days of Recipe-a-Day~Light. That’s right,
we’re lightening up the fare in order to help remove that 5 to 8
pounds that we all managed to pack on during the holidays.

Today’s recipe is a fantastic cold citrus pie that contains about 200
calories per serving, with only 2.7 grams of saturated fat. Just
another example that proves light cooking does not have to be light
on flavor.

In a medium-sized, non-reactive saucepan, whisk eggs and 2/3 cup of
sugar until smooth. Add the lemon juice and whisk again. Cook over a
low-heat setting, making sure to whisk constantly, until slightly
thickened (about 10 minutes). Pour the mixture through a fine mesh
sieve into a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest, cover with
plastic wrap, and refrigerate the mixture for about 2 hours.

In a mixing bowl, combine the warm water with the powdered egg whites
and cream of tartar. Stir gently until the egg whites are thoroughly
dissolved. With a hand-held electric mixer, beat the egg-white
mixture until soft peaks form. Gradually adding the remaining 1/3 cup
of sugar, continue to beat the meringue until stiff peaks form.

In a small, chilled bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks
form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the chilled lemon mixture
into the egg whites. Do the same with the whipped cream. Pour the
filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth, leveling the top of
the pie.

Freeze, uncovered, for about an hour, until firm. Cover, then freeze
for about 6 hours prior to serving. (May freeze for up to 1 week.)
Soften the pie in the refrigerator about a half hour before serving,
then slice and garnish each piece of pie with a mint leaf and a thin
slice of lemon.