The filling, which I chill in an ice bath before it goes into the crust, sets in lightning speed. The crust, which is made in a food processor and requires no rolling, comes together lickety-split. But what makes it truly special is that there are little bits of salty, crunchy Marcona almonds in it.The topping, the filling, and the crust all work together in beautiful harmony, and I wanted to engineer the recipe so that you can enjoy that deliciousness faster than usual.

I like to add a little vanilla extract to my Italian meringue, which somehow makes it seem even creamier.And oh, the crust! In place of traditional pie pastry (which would still be delicious here), I go with a pat-in shortbread crust that somehow both holds together and is wonderfully crumbly in that shortbread kind of way. You donвЂ™t have to bake it-because in making it, you beat molten hot sugar syrup into the whites (easier than it sounds), which heats them to a safe temperature. Italian meringue, by contrast, has weight and body to it thatвЂ™s reminiscent of homemade marshmallows, and itвЂ™s incredibly stable, which is why itвЂ™s often used as a cake frosting, too. ItвЂ™s thicker, creamier, and heavier on the palate than the type of airy, ephemeral meringues you might see on diner-style pies-you know, the type that deflates almost immediately on the tongue. ItвЂ™s assertively-but not aggressively-lemony, and is balanced by the fluffy meringue topping, which has the perfect sweetness and density to complement the tarter-than-usual filling.This topping is the type of meringue I love, the type that makes my mouth water and sets my heart aflutter. IвЂ™ve got a Smokey on my tail.)I like lemon pie so much that I want even more of the bright, sunny lemon flavor to come through, so thereвЂ™s less sugar and more lemon juice in this filling than youвЂ™ll find in most recipes. If you donвЂ™t know what that means, itвЂ™s likely because youвЂ™re much younger than me, and this clue still wonвЂ™t help you: Breaker 1-9, this is Lemon Pie.

(Fun fact: Lemon Pie was my CB handle when I was a kid. Lemon meringue pie has always been my favorite dessert.