lemon-meringue-pie

For all those lemon lovers like me, this is the king of lemon!
Who can resist a piece of Lemon Meringue Pie.

I made this pie for a party and because of time issues and not wanting to have to remember to bring my ceramic pie dish back home, I decided to use a frozen pie crust, (this one time )
I included the pastry recipe I normally use.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Course: Pie
Keyword: lemon, pie
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Pastry for one bottom crust:

  • ice water
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ¼ cup cold butter
  • ¼ cup cold shortening or lard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Lemon filling:

  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • cup cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 large egg yolks save whites for meringue
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons butter

MERINGUE:

  • 5 egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • For the crust (recipe makes 1 bottom crust) -Blend egg yolk and vinegar together, add enough ice water to this to equal 1/3 cup liquid. Place the flour in a mixing bowl (or I prefer a food processor, easier and less handling). Cut in the butter and shortening. Add the salt. Slowly blend in the liquid as needed. Don’t make dough wet, you may not need all the liquid. Mix to a coarse meal texture.
  • Form into a ball, flatten and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
  • Butter needs to keep hard and not melt into the flour for that flaky finish.
  • Place dough on a lightly floured surface, or between 2 pieces wax paper. Roll wide enough to fit your pie plate.
  • Flute edges and prick bottom with fork, if bottom bubbles up during baking, prick bottom again, and bubbling will settle down.
  • Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes or till brown.
  • For the filling – In a saucepan on low heat, whisk together sugar water and cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks and salt. Raise heat to medium and whisk for another 5 minutes until filling is thick and glossy. Remove from heat, whisk in lemon zest, lemon juice and butter.
  • Pour into baked pie shell.
  • Top hot filling with meringue.(this will set the underside of the meringue to help keep from weeping)
  • To make the meringue – With egg beater on medium speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until blended. While beating, gradually add in sugar, cornstarch and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. (the addition of cornstarch helps keep it from weeping)
  • Spoon the meringue over lemon filling, sealing to the pie-crust edge to help prevent shrinkage.
  • Make swirls with spoon for a decorative effect. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and meringue will cut cleanly later without pulling and sticking to the knife.
  • Bake pie at 350°F for 10 minutes or until meringue browns slightly
  • Cool before serving.

Similar Posts

One Comment

  1. This is my all time favorite pie, though I haven't had a slice in years. Looks fantastic! Wish I could jump into the screen and have a piece of yours. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *






This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.