Lemon Torte

Who else has one of these cookbooks? I don't mean the title, I mean the one you bought 30 years ago, with really simplistic recipes, that nonetheless has some happy surprises buried in it?
Don't let this cover fool you. I did not pay $8.95 for this; I think it was being uppity, at a time when minimum wage was $1.26. I paid $1.49 at Kresges in 1978. And it has obviously earned its keep.

Isn't this spine lovely? Clear 2" wide cellophane tape is a truly wonderful thing.

Anyway, one of the hidden gems in this paperback, cello-spined beauty is Lemon Torte. For my friend Paula and many like her little one, this is gluten free. For those of us who adore lemon, this is heavenly. And for those of us who are perpetually watching our weight, it's a caloric nightmare. I do firmly recommend you try this; I've made it a couple dozen times during the course of our marraige, and I wouldn't testify that this isn't my dearly beloved's favorite dessert ever.

LEMON TORTE

Shell:
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

Whip the whites until soft. Add the cream of tartar and sugar, and whip until stiff. Spoon into a well greased pie plate and bake at 275 for one hour. No peeking! At the end of the hour, shut the oven off and wait until it cools to open it, at least another hour. This is what the shell will look like; don't think yours failed because it fell. I've never had a pretty one.

Filling:
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon rind

Stir all ingredients together in a saucepan, and cook until it thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes, whisking constantly (or nearly so). Remove from heat and let cool, about 15 minutes. Then spread it on top of the torte shell. It will now look like this:

Top with whipped cream. This is your chance to even the whole thing up and make it look pretty. Heck, I guess you can even put nice yellow sprinkles or yellow sugar on top, although I didn't think of that until just now, and it's much too late.

This was another dessert that made my husband go hunt a plate at 1AM, because the pie was calling him. It was all gone before 10 today.