NOTHING IN THE HOUSE: SPONGE CAKE LEMON PIE (LEMON SPONGE PIE)

Outside it's cold, big fat snowflakes dusting the sidewalks like powdered sugar. Suddenly, I have a sweet craving and all I can think of is lemon pie. As usual I have absolutely nothing in the house but basic kitchen staples - sugar, milk, flour, eggs, and butter. And, wait a minute-- a bag of Meyer Lemons I purchased on Sunday. I dig around and find an old-fashioned recipe for Sponge Cake Lemon Pie, more popularly known as Lemon Sponge Pie, an easy and an economical pie recipe as it only requires seven ingredients, most of them staples in the kitchen. This pie cooks slow in the oven and the finished result is a scrumptious pie with a gooey bottom layer of lemon custard, and a top layer of fluffy sponge cake - what I call pie magic!

Sponge Cake Lemon Pie
2 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
2 rounded Tbs flour
1 cup milk
grated lemon rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 pie crust, 10-inch, unbaked

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Mix the flour into the sugar. Beat the yolks until creamy, add the sugar and milk. Add the grated rind, juice and melted butter. 
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Fold into the other mixture. Pour into the pie shell, bake until golden brown. 
4. Cool and refrigerate for at least an hour. The pie is served chill. Feel free to dust with powdered sugar.