Adapted from the Sunset Magazine Cookbook: Food with a Gourmet Touch (1960)
A Heavenly Pie
Imagine a lemon meringue pie flipped upside down — the meringue becomes the shell, and the filling takes center stage. That’s Angel Pie, one of the most elegant desserts in my vintage cookbook collection.
The recipe comes from a 1960s Sunset Magazine cookbook, and the name is entirely earned. It’s not quite a pie and not quite a pavlova, though it borrows from both: a crisp, pillowy meringue shell filled with a cloud-like mixture of lemon curd and whipped cream that is, frankly, extraordinary.
The Meringue Shell
The base is a classic meringue — egg whites beaten with cream of tartar and salt until stiff, then sugar added gradually until the mixture is thick, glossy, and holds firm peaks. This gets spread into a greased pie pan just as you would a pastry shell, then baked for about 40 minutes until crisp to the touch.
A note on color: mine came out lightly browned, which I loved — it added a faint caramel note to the flavor. If you prefer a pristine white shell, tent it loosely with foil partway through baking. Either way, the interior should stay soft and marshmallowy, with a delicate chew.
The Filling
First you make a lemon curd: egg yolks and sugar are whisked together over a double boiler until pale and thickened, then brightened with lemon juice and zest and cooked until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Once that cools, it gets folded into softly whipped cream — just enough to hold its shape — and the whole mixture is spooned into the cooled shell. Then it goes into the refrigerator for several hours to set.
The Result
This dessert melts on the tongue. It’s light and lush at the same time, intensely lemony, and far more impressive-looking than the effort involved would suggest. A few toasted nuts on top adds a welcome bit of crunch, but that’s entirely optional.
Full recipe below!
Sunset Magazine’s Lemony Angel Pie
Ingredients
Shell
- 4 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Filling
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.
Make the meringue shell
- Beat egg whites until frothy, then sprinkle in cream of tartar and salt. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Gradually beat in sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until glossy with stiff peaks.
- Spread meringue into the prepared pie pan to form a shell.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until crisp to the touch. The shell may lightly brown (delicious), or you can drape with foil partway through for a pristine white finish. The interior should be marshmallowy, like a pavlova.
Make the filling
- In a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (or using a double boiler), whisk egg yolks and sugar until light.
- Add lemon juice and zest, then cook, whisking constantly, until thickened (about 5–7 minutes). Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Whip cream and vanilla to stiff peaks. Gently fold in cooled lemon mixture.
Assemble and serve
- Spread filling into cooled meringue shell.
- Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Slice and garnish with toasted nuts, if desired.
