Pamela Cook has brought a lovely big lemon meringue pie to the Virtual Kitchen this morning. We shall make short work of it. Pamela writes women’s fiction with an Australian country feel, a bit of romance and lots of horses. Her books, Blackwattle Lake and Essie’s Way are published by Hachette Australia and available in bookshops and as ebooks. Pamela is on Twitter and Facebook too, as are we all ….

What are your memories of your mothers cooking as a child?

I have a couple of clear food memories from my childhood. We had an enormous mulberry tree in our backyard and every year when the berries were ripe Mum would make pies for everyone in the neighbourhood and I had the pleasure of delivering them. Not so pleasurable was the tripe she also cooked for the neighbours and had me deliver. I still remember the sickly smell wafting from the bowl of white, blubbery flesh.

What was your favourite dish as a child?

I love any sort of dessert but my favourite as a kid would probably be Golden Syrup Pudding with custard. I try and make one every year to relive the memories but it never seems to taste quite the way my mum’s did.

Do you like to cook?

I used to love cooking but lately I’ve been finding it a chore. It’s hard catering to different tastes in the family and the meal planning side of it really frustrates me.

What are some of your favourite books about food?

I love Jamie Oliver’s recipes – they’re hearty and easy to follow. And I’ve made a few things from Julie Goodwin’s first cook book. Apart from recipe books I don’t tend to read books centred on food but I did love the movie Chocolate – and it wasn’t just because of Johnny Depp.

Is the food in your stories important?

It hasn’t been so much in my first two books but I’m currently in the middle of writing my third novel and have written a couple of scenes that revolve around meals. My main character doesn’t have a family of her own and finds herself drawn to a family she meets in town who frequently get together and share good food.

Your favourite snack?

Coffee and snacks are great procrastination tools. Lately I’ve been indulging in the occasional Tim Tam and I do love a slice of raisin toast dripping with butter.

What’s your latest book?

My most recent book is Essie’s Way. It’s rural fiction with romantic elements set on the south coast of NSW.

What foods do the characters eat?

There are a couple of scenes involving coffee. And since my main character, Miranda, is soon to be married and watching her waistline she opts for a Caesar Salad when she lunches with her mother in the Queen Victoria Building in the first chapter. Considering the outcome of the lunch she might have been better taking a comfort food option!

What do you love most about this book?

This book has two main characters – Miranda and an older woman called Esther (the Essie of the title). It switches perspective and also takes the reader back in time to Esther’s youth via her diaries. I loved playing around with all these different elements of the story.

Where can readers find it?

Essie’s Way (published in December 2013) and my first novel Blackwattle Lake (published in December 2012) are available through Big W and local Bookstores. If you can’t see them on the shelf just ask. They’re also available through Booktopia and other online retailers, both in hard copy and ebook.

My Mum’s Lemon Meringue Pie

Pastry

2 cups plain flour

pinch salt

1 tablespoon icing sugar

185 g butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 to 2 tablespoons water.

Filling

4 tablespoons plain flour

4 tablespoons cornflour

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

¾ cup lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 ¼ cups water

90g butter

4 egg yolks.

Meringue

4 egg whites

2 tablespoons water

pinch salt

¾ cup caster sugar

1. Sift flour, salt and icing sugar into a bowl, chop butter roughly, add to dry ingredients, rub in until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add lemon juice and enough water to mix to a firm dough. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface to fit a 23cm pie plate. Use rolling pin to lift pastry onto pie plate

2. Trim and decorate edges. Prick base and sides of pastry with a fork. Bake in moderately hot oven 10-15 mins. Allow to cool.

3. Combine sifted flours, lemon rind, juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Add water, blend until smooth, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. This is important, the mixture must boil. Reduce heat, stir a further two minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and lightly beaten egg yolk, stir until butter has melted. Cool.

4. Spread cold lemon filling evenly into pastry case. Combine egg whites, water and salt in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beat well until sugar has dissolved. Spoon on top of lemon filling, spreading meringue to edges of pie to seal. Make peaks in meringue with a knife. Bake in moderate oven 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool then refrigerate.