Lemon Meringue Pie!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie combines the light sweetness of meringue with the tangy zest of lemon and it is all brought together by pastry. The best of all worlds really. Surprisingly it is not the lemons that give the filling its trademark bright yellow colour, but in fact the egg yolks! Yes six egg yolks will have that effect. It is after all half a dozen eggs! A far cry from the recommended daily intake of two eggs or less, per day. But don’t worry, as long as you don’t eat the WHOLE pie yourself, you’ll be fine! Quite possibly more than fine, as you will be filled with Lemon Meringue Pie delight!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients:
Pastry: 1 ½ cups plain flour, 2 tbsp icing sugar, 125g chilled unsalted butter chopped, 3 tbsp water
Filling/topping: ¼ cup cornflour, ¼ cup plain flour, 1 cup caster sugar, ¾ cup lemon juice, 3 tsp grated lemon rind, 40g unsalted butter chopped, 6 eggs separated, 1 ½ cups caster sugar, ½ tsp cornflour extra
Steps: To make the pastry: sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with fingertips (or place into a food processor) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add almost all the water and mix to form a firm dough, adding more water if necessary. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a bowl. Roll between two sheets of baking paper and then line a 23cm pie plate with the pastry and trim the edges. Chill in a refrigerator for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to moderate 180 degrees Celsius.
Line the pastry with a sheet of baking paper and spread a layer of baking beads or rice evenly over the paper. Bake for 10 minutes. (This process is called Blind baking) Then remove the paper/beads and bake for another 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Leave to cool.
To make the filling: place the flours and sugar in a medium pan. Gradually whisk in the lemon juice and rind and water. Whisk continually over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens then reduce the heat and cook for an additional 1 minute. Whisk in the butter and egg yolks one at a time until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large glass bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap and allow to cool completely.
To make the topping: preheat the oven to hot, 220 degrees Celsius. Beat the 6 egg whites in a small dry bowl with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Add the extra sugar gradually, beating constantly until the meringue is thick and glossy (and the mixture does not feel gritty). Beat in the extra cornflour.
Pour the cold filling into the cold pastry shell. Spread with meringue to cover, forming peaks. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Leave to cool. Then Serve!
Serves 6-8
Why not try making Mini Lemon Meringue Pies as well! Snack size for your convenience!
