Lemon Pie in a Blender by The Careless Cook By now you know I’m a big believer in the serendipity of cooking. Being precise only slows a cook down! Why use a teaspoon measure for this or that. Use a teaspoon measure once and pour the salt or sugar or whatever in your hand. After that you know what a teaspoon-full looks like! And do a few grains of sugar or salt make a difference? I think not, but then I’m a careless cook. But, how about liquids? Hey, do you measure exactly how much wine you’ve just poured in your glass? And when you bring it to your pouty lips, does it taste good? Taste is the key. So in this recipe, which may call for a teaspoon of vanilla, does a small slosh do just as well as a teaspoon certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce? I say “Down with government interference in my lemon pie!” I shall slosh and sprinkle if I wish! And by golly, it will taste great! “But, oh treasured Careless Cook,” you of slight courage may ask, “How can you be sure it will taste good?” Because I taste tested it, you ninny! Now have another slosh of wine and let’s get started making Lemon Pie in a Blender. Ingredients 1 whole lemon, NOT PEELED, washed, seeded, and chopped (no need to overdo the chopping. That’s why we use a blender!) 4 large eggs ½ cup butter, melted (1 stick) 1 teaspoon of vanilla (just in case you’ve not perfected your sloshing technique) 1 ½ cups sugar, or two generous hand-fulls 1 deep dish piecrust, either store bought or home made….recipe below. Heat the oven to 350ºF or 180º C Toss all the ingredients, except the piecrust!, in the blender and blend well. Pour the lemon mixture in the piecrust and entrust it to the oven for 40 minutes. NOTE: If you’re using a store bought piecrust, follow the package directions for thawing or not thawing. Because I am not a greedy man, I shared this pie with my significant other. She got one piece. No sense in overdoing this sharing stuff. Pastry Crust: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour large pinch of sea salt 8 tablespoons of butter, cut into bits 6 tablespoons cold water Put all the ingredients, except the water, in a food processor and pulse until all is blended. Should look like coarse meal. Put the water in by spoon-full to spread it around. Pulse again until the dough clumps together. Roll it out thinly on a surface dusted with flour. So simple! You will find yourself using this flaky crust over and over. How to rid yourself of culinary inhibitions and become a careless cook: Your training begins with a big glass of wine….. “Well,” you ask, “what if I’m making breakfast?” In that case you have two choices. Either postpone the time you choose to break your fast, or slap your face to jar your memory that wine is really only grape juice that has been carefully cared for.