by Eleanor Bradshaw

Do not allow your taste buds to fall victim to the mediocre.

Dyed-in-the-wool chocolate lovers often fail to properly acknowledge the many desserts not calling for any derivative of the cocoa bean. Therefore, this month's Desserts feature article deservedly falls upon not one, but three luscious lemon pies, all of which have been popular favorites for years.

A major theme of Texas Cooking, of course, is to encourage cooks to seek the benefits of cooking from scratch those things many of us are accustomed to grabbing off the supermarket shelves. Do not allow your taste buds to fall victim to the mediocre.

"Why pies?," you say. "They are so much trouble, and I can't make pie crust."

"Pshaw," I say. To my way of thinking, pies are the perfect dessert. They only make 6 to 8 servings, depending upon the generosity of the slicer, so they are usually gone within 24 hours or less (or at least they are at my house). So they stay really fresh, and there is less for me to eat (not wise for me to eat pie every day). And besides, they aren't hard to make. Many people think pies have to win beauty contests. They are missing the point, and the point is TASTE.

Of course, it's quicker to use frozen pie shells. But I imagine that anyone who has gotten this far into a cooking website is interested in more than speed.

Certainly, frozen pie shells are okay in a pinch, but I encourage those who consider themselves pastry-challenged to give a chance to the simple pie crust recipe listed below. Get yourself one of those hand-held pastry blender gadgets and some waxed paper. That's all the equipment you will need.

The first of our Three Lemons is Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie.

This pie attains the perfect balance between tart and sweet, and is a real beauty. It looks impressive, and it is (meringue can cover a world of flaws). The recipe for the pie, the meringue and the pie crust is listed below. Our other two lemons are just a click away.

Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie This is our famous recipe that results in the pie for all true lovers of Lemon Meringue Pie. 1-1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups water

3 eggs, separated

1-1/2 lemons

1 tablespoon butter

1 baked, cooled 9-inch piecrust Combine the sugar, flour, salt and water in a heavy saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-high to high heat (depending upon your cooktop, especially if it's electric) until mixture boils. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slightly beat the egg yolks in a bowl with a fork. Mix half the boiled mixture with the egg yolks. Then put the egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the boiled ingredients, and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter. Grate 1 lemon and add the grated peel, together with the juice of 1-1/2 lemons. Mix thoroughly. Pour into the cooled, baked piecrust. Put the meringue (recipes follow) on the filling while the filling is hot to prevent weeping, and seal meringue to edge of pastry. Bake in a 375°F oven 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meringue 3 egg whites (from extra large or jumbo eggs)

6 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar Have egg whites at room temperature. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Bake at 375°F 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Generally speaking, the proportion of sugar to egg whites is 2 to 1 (e.g., for a 4-egg meringue, use 8 tablespoons of sugar; vanilla and cream of tartar can remain the same). Also, remember that meringue pies cut better with a wet knife blade.

Are you looking for a pie recipe good enough to win a pie contest in a swift gambit? The Lemon Chess Pie is a great play. It is not only easy but also incredibly good. To my mind, this is an old fashioned pie. The ingredients are so simple. You just mix it up, pour it in the pie shell, and bake it.

Lemon Chess Pie Lemon Chess Pie is a good, old-fashioned, never-fail pie. 2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine sugar, flour, cornmeal and salt. Add the melted butter, lemon rind, lemon juice and milk; mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes. Makes one pie.

The third jewel in the spotlight is Lemon Chiffon Pie. This pie may look intimidating, but it really isn't. I do recommend that you have a really good electric mixer, however. Light, high and fine textured, this pie is a delightful ending to a spicy meal.

Lemon Chiffon Pie Lemon Chess Pie is a good, old-fashioned, never-fail pie. 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

4 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

1 baked, cooled 9-inch pie crust Preparation: Stir together the gelatin and cold water, and set aside. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemony. Combine egg yolks with 1 cup of the sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add gelatin/water mixture. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Set aside, and allow to cool. Have egg whites at room temperature. Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, a tablespoonful at a time, beating until soft peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites and whipped cream into cooled lemon mixture. Pile into cooled 9-inch crust. Chill until set. Makes one pie.