Golf nut brings lemon pie to the fore.

Byline: HOME COOKING By Jim Boyd The Register-Guard

Don Rose of Eugene retired six years ago after 30 years working as a representative for the Ash Grove Cement Co., which has a sales office in Portland. He's an avid golfer.

"I'm president of the Golf Nuts Society of America," he said. "All I do there is play as much golf as possible with as many people as possible as many places as possible."

Rose was nominated for the Home Cooking column by the office manager at his dentist's office, who wrote that he makes wonderful lemon meringue pie without the traditional crust.

"We worked him into our schedule and to thank us, he brought his pie for us to enjoy," Kathy Denson said. "We all loved it so much, he has has sent in another. They taste great and the meringue looks wonderful. Great patient! Great cook!"

Specialty: Meat cookery. "I really have a hard time with meats - when I eat out - that are not what I consider tender and moist and melt-in-your-mouth," he said.

"I have just discovered over time that if I cook a ham or a roast or sirloin tips or whatever I do, if I cook them on a low heat and a long time they are extremely tender and very tasty for whatever I'm making.

"So I'd say that would be one of my - if you want to call it - a specialty. Certainly, it's of top interest to me."

For example, Rose prepares baked ham by placing a whole ham of 3 to 6 pounds, trimmed of all fat, in a roasting pan with a small, circular rack to keep the ham off the bottom of the pan.

He then mixes together two or three cans of concentrated orange juice diluted with water to about half of what the can's directions call for and one or two cups of honey, and he pours the mixture over the ham. (The liquid should come about a fourth of the way up on the side of the ham.)

Rose bakes the ham at 265 degrees, turning the ham over every hour, until the meat is tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork (perhaps 3 to 6 hours). Turning the meat eliminates the need for basting.

"I've never had anyone that's tasted that ham that just didn't love it," he said.

How he began cooking: His divorce in 1980 forced him to cook for himself. Now remarried, he does all the cooking for himself and his wife, Debbie.

"She's a good cook, but she just would rather not cook," he said.

His biggest cooking success: "Cooking for my family," he said. "I've got a son and a wonderful daughter-in-law and two great grandkids, and they seem to like my baked ham.

"So, during the holidays, I always try to have a large baked ham with scalloped potatoes and tossed salad. Just the accolades and the pleasure that is derived from that meal is a highlight."

His biggest cooking failure: "I would have to say that they are really minor," he said.

"Sometimes, I'll do everything the way I've done it before and the meat either is tough or - really, that's about all it ever amounts to. Just a little something is off."

His favorite cookbooks: "A Taste of Oregon" by the Junior League of Eugene and "Great Beginnings & Happy Endings: Hors d'oeuvres and Desserts for Standing Ovations" (Royal Publishing Co., Beverly Hills, Calif.) by Renny Darling.

Why this recipe was chosen: "I've eaten a lot of lemon pies and I've never found anything that comes close to this one," Rose said. "And everybody I serve this to just loves it."

The recipe calls for a crumb crust made from vanilla wafers, sugar and butter. "But I'm trying to cut down on a little butter and a little sugar, so all I do is grind up the vanilla wafers and coat the bottom with that," Rose said.

Lemon Meringue Pie

With Vanilla Crust

"This is a good old-fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie made just a little simpler (and I do believe, better) with a new-fashioned vanilla wafer crumb crust. The taste of vanilla, in combination with the lemon, is simply delicious," author Renny Darling writes in "Great Beginnings & Happy Endings"

Vanilla crust:

1 1/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs 

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine all the ingredients until blended and pat them on the bottom and sides of a buttered 9-inch pie pan.

Bake in 350-degree oven for about 7 or 8 minutes or until top is very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Lemon filling:

2 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch 

2/3 cup lemon juice

In a saucepan, stir together hot water, lemon peel, butter, salt and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat together, in a large mixing bowl, the egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice until thoroughly blended.

Pour egg yolk mixture into hot water mixture and stir until blended. Place saucepan on low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened. Do not boil. Pour filling into prepared crust.

For the meringue:

4 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites until foamy. Continue beating and add salt, cream of tartar, sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) and vanilla until meringue is very stiff. Swirl meringue decoratively on top of lemon filling and over every bit of crust.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool for 3 hours before serving. For easy cutting, use a wet knife.

Serves 8.

Note: Rose doubles the number of egg whites and the amount of sugar in the meringue on the pies he makes.

To nominate a cook for this feature, mail it to Home Cooking, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440; send a fax to 338-2813; contact Jim Boyd at 338-2363 or [phone]; or e-mail [e-mail]. Include the nominee's name and phone number, your name and phone number, and why you think he or she is an interesting cook.