Strawberry Angel Pie

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie pan.

Combine the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1 cup of the sugar and beat until shiny stiff peaks form. Spread the mixture in the pie pan, building a rim about 1 inch higher than the edge of the pan.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until the meringue is lightly golden and firm to the touch. Let cool in the turned-off oven with the door open.

While the crust is cooling, beat the egg yolks until they are thick and pale yellow. Slowly beat in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Add the lemon juice and zest. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Be patient; this takes about 5 minutes, but you don't want the yolks to burn. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Beat the cream until it is stiff enough to hold peaks (you should have about 3 cups). Refrigerate until time to assemble the pie.

Sprinkle the powdered sugar over the strawberries; gently toss so they are evenly sweetened.

To assemble: Gently fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the lemon custard, mixing only until well blended. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the meringue shell. Fold the strawberries into the remaining 2 cups whipped cream and pile on top of the lemon filling.

If desired, decorate the pie with whole berries, or a little strawberry juice drizzled on top.