Key Lime Meringue Pie

I'm proud of my meringue pies ... one of my specialties. Well, some friends of ours gave us a bunch of fresh key limes from their yard, so I decided to try my hand at Key Lime Meringue Pie. It tastes great, Rob gave it an A. I'll probably rate it a B+ because it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. See, if you make a meringue pie when its SUPER humid, the meringue will turn out sticky and the custard part doesn't set up quite right. Oh, well. A drier day (or climate) would've made this an A+ on all counts. This recipe is adapted from my Grandmother's Joy of Cooking cookbook.

COST: $2.44
Key Limes: FREE
Nilla Wafer Pie Crust: $0.99 (had in pantry for a while)
Eggs: $0.35
Sugar: $0.50
Corn Starch: $0.10
Salt: $0.05
Butter: $0.15
Cream of Tartar: $0.25
Vanilla: $0.05

INGREDIENTS (FILLING/SHELL):
Premade Nilla-Wafer Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 Tblsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup fresh key lime (or lemon) juice
3 well-beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups boiling water

INGREDIENTS (MERINGUE):
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pie shell (this generally means to take the plastic top off.) Sift sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a saucepan. Gradually blend in cold water and key lime juice. When smooth, add egg yolks and butter. Stirring constantly, add 1 1/2 cups boiling water, then bring mixture to full boil (I use medium heat). Continue stirring gently until mixture begins to thicken. When thickening occurs (this is unmistakeable), reduce heat to low and allow to simmer slowly 1 minute. Pour into pie shell.

In the meantime, you may want to make the meringue so that its ready when the pie filling is done (because you want to pour it over hot filling to start the eggs cooking). Whip egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip until eggs form soft peaks (when you pull the beaters out, peaks should form, but should lean sideways). Beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, then add vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form (peaks should remain upright). Spread over hot filling, being sure to seal to crust. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until top is golden brown.