Friday, February 25, 2011

Lemon Meringue Pie

Five years ago today my grandmother passed away. Just weeks before she was gone, she was dreaming of pie. Not just any pie, lemon meringue pie. The family was gathered at the house and I went straight to the kitchen. I made fresh meyer lemon curd, frothy whipped meringue and got it into the oven as quickly as I could. The pie was the most beautiful I have ever made. In my rush to get it to my grandmother, I hastily removed it from the oven. Halfway across the kitchen, the hot pie tin folded in half and crashed to the floor. I just stood there sobbing with my hot mitts on, staring at the mess that was once my gift for my grandmother. My heart in a crust was now crushed in a heap in the middle of the kitchen floor. All that tightly held emotion released as it hit the linoleum. I was going to lose her......forever. I can't stop it from happening, no matter how good my pie is. My aunt Peggy was standing there and quickly jumped into action. "We'll fix it, we'll fix it!". She grabbed two spatulas and scooped my poor pie onto a plate. My grandmother knew what had happened but she wanted that pie anyways, perhaps even more so. Taking a bite, gently closing her eye's, "this is the best pie I've ever had" she says slowly. I love you grandma and miss you terribly.

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