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1
Preheat the oven to 400F.
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2
Have all the ingredients at room temperature before you begin.
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3
Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (see Know-how, page 315).
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4
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
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5
Add the lemon zest and juice, water, cornmeal, and salt and stir to mix.
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6
Place the egg whites in a separate large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and frothy.
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7
Increase the speed to high and beat to soft peaks, about 2 minutes more.
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8
Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
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9
Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell, place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.
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10
Reduce the temperature to 300F and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling sets around the edges but still jiggles in the center when lightly shaken.
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11
Remove pie from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving; the pie will firm up completely, or set, as it cools.
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12
Serve at room temperature.
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13
Stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, lemon zest, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
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14
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla.
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15
Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives in a crosscutting motion until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
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16
Work quickly so the butter remains cool and doesnt melt into the flour.
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17
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until the dough clumps together and is moist enough to pat together.
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18
Do not mix any more than necessary.
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19
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and, with lightly floured hands, form into a flat disk.
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20
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or for up to 3 days, until firm.
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21
Check the pie recipe for special rolling instructions.
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22
To prepare a basic pie shell, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for about 10 minutes.
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23
Place on a lightly floured work surface.
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24
Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
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25
Fold the dough in half or gently roll it onto the rolling pin and lift it over the pie pan.
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26
Press the dough lightly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
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27
Trim the excess dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough draped over the pan.
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28
Roll the extra dough under itself to form a rim around the edge of the pan.
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29
Crimp the rim of dough with your fingers or press with the tines of a fork.
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30
Prick the bottom of the crust two or three times with a fork to create small holes.
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31
Cover the crust with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, before proceeding with a recipe or partially or fully prebaking the crust (see Know-how, page 345).
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32
Prepare 1 recipe Cornmeal Crust (preceding recipe), prebake (see Know-how, page 345), and let cool.
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33
Cut the crust into slices or wedges and, just before serving, top each with a dollop of lemon curd, a sprinkling of blackberries and blueberries, and a spoonful of soft lightly sweetened whipped cream or Buttermilk Creme Fraiche (page 320).
