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Lemon Meringue Pie

Introduction & method

Lemon meringue pie is a delicious dessert. Buttery pastry filled with acidic lemon curd and topped with light, crunchy/fluffy, sweet meringue. Not the world's easiest thing to make, but well worth the effort.

 Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

Before you start

  • Humid conditions will cause the meringue to fail, so don't attempt this on a rainy or cloudy day, or if you are cooking something steamy in the kitchen
  • All of your equipment must be scrupulously clean and dry with no traces of fat or grease
  • When you separate the eggs, if you get any yolk in the white, throw it away
  • Older eggs are better than super-fresh ones, and they must be at room temperature

Make the pastry


Add the sugar and the egg yolk to the flour and stir them together. Break the butter into small pieces and stir them in, then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. If you have a stand mixer the paddle attachment on medium speed will do this in a few minutes. Stir in just enough water so that the mixture holds together as a dough. Refrigerate for half an hour.

When the pastry has rested, roll it out into a disc on a floured surface. Grease the inside of your baking tin with butter, then drape the pastry over your rolling pin and gently roll the pastry into the tin. This pastry is very delicate, so you'll need to be careful with it. Push the pastry down into the tin so it goes right into the edges. Trim off the excess pastry.

Blind bake


Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F) for a fan/convection oven, 180°C (356°F) conventional, gas 4. Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with a fork, then line it with foil. Pour in dried beans or lentils (this is just to stop the bottom of the pastry from puffing up while it bakes), and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and the foil, and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Make the filling


Cut the butter into small chunks. Mix together the cornflour and sugar in a small saucepan. Add the zest of the 2 lemons, and then gradually incorporate the juice of the 2 lemons and the juice of the orange. Heat the mixture and keep stirring until it begins to bubble and thicken. Once it is thickened, remove from heat and add the butter a bit at a time. If the mixture seems too thick, add a drop of hot water. When all the butter is mixed in and melted, add the egg yolks and stir vigorously until you have a nice thick smooth mixture. Set aside.

Make the meringue


Pour the egg whites into a clean stainless steel, glass or ceramic bowl, and whisk until you have stiff peaks (this is when a spoonful of the mixture will hold its shape and not fall off the spoon). Whisk in the sugar and cornflour a bit at a time. This is really a job for a stand mixer - thie whisk attachment on full speed will do it in about six minutes.

Assemble the pie


Your oven should still be on. If not, heat it to 160°C (320°F) for a fan/convection oven, 180°C (356°F) conventional, gas 4. Spoon the lemon filling mixture into the pastry case and smooth it into an even layer. Place spoonfuls of the meringue mixture around the edge, and then fill in towards the centre. Run a fork over the outside to form ridges and peaks that will catch the heat.

Bake for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat but leave the oven door open. Leave it for half an hour, then take it out of the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 30-60 minutes.

Now you can eat it. But be warned, meringues do not keep well, so you'll need to eat the whole thing on the day it's made. Tragic, eh?


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Lemon Meringue Pie on YouTube.

 
You might also like these recipes:

Black Forest Gateau

Carrot Cake

Scones

Ingredients & Info


PASTRY
 150 grams plain white flour
 80 grams unsalted butter
 1 egg yolk
 1 tbsp caster sugar
 100 ml water
FILLING
 2 tbsp cornflour
 80 grams caster sugar
 2 lemons
 1 orange
 80 grams unsalted butter
 2 egg yolks
MERINGUE
 3 egg whites
 150 grams caster sugar
 1½ tsp cornflour

UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Makes 1 20cm (8 inch) pie
Prep time: 30 minutes.
Resting time: 1 hour.
Cooking time: 1 hour.
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes.