Lemon Meringue Torte

INGREDIENTS FOR MERINGUE
5 lg Egg whites
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 ts Salt
1 pn Cream of tartar
1 Ready-made pie crust

How to Prepare the Curd:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Whisk in the
eggs and yolks.

2. In a medium non-reactive saucepan, combine the zest, fruit juices,
sugar, vanilla, and butter, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisking
constantly, slowly drizzle half of the hot liquid into the cream mixture.

3. Return everything to the saucepan and cool, whisking constantly, and
scraping the bottom of the pan until tiny bubbles boil up for 10 seconds.
Strain the curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, cover with waxed paper,
and set aside. (The curd can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and
refrigerated.)

How to Prepare the Meringue:

1. Place the egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in a large
stainless steel bowl, and set it over a saucepan of simmering water.

2. Whisk constantly until the mixture is lukewarm.

3. Remove from the heat and whisk (you can switch to an electric mixer)
until the egg whites form high peaks, like shaving cream.

How to Assemble:

1. Bake the ready-made pie crust according to the package instructions, let
cool slightly. Spread the lemon curd over the still warm, baked ready-made
pie crust.

2. With the back of a spoon, pile the meringue on top of the curd, pulling
up wisps of meringue with the spoon as you go.

3. Set the pudding under a preheated broiler for a few seconds, or pass the
flame of a propane torch over the meringue, until lightly browned in spots.