Lemon Meringue Pie
Buttery, crumbly pie crust, a sharp but sweet & smooth lemon filling and a toasted vanilla meringue on top.
Servings 1 9 inch pie, feeds 8-10
Equipment
- metal pie pan 9 inch
- stand mixer to whip meringue
Ingredients
- Pie Crust homemade or storebought
Lemon Filling
- Zest of 4-5 lemons wash them first to remove wax
- 200g or ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 200 g or 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 85 g or 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
Vanilla Meringue Topping
- 4 egg whites from large eggs
- 200g or 1 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste plus a scrape of vanilla bean if desired
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Blind bake the crust
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Roll out the crust and shape onto pie pan. Cover with foil and add pie weights. Bake the crust for 30 minutes.
- Remove pie weights and dock the bottom, lower the heat to 350 F. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
To make the filling
- Zest the lemons straight into a pot. After you juice the lemons add the juice to the pot as well. Stir in the granulated sugar.
- Whisk in the eggs and pinch of sea salt.
- Slice the butter and set in a bowl. Over the bowl place a sieve.
- Set the pot over low heat and whisk well. Stir frequently as the curd cooks. Once thickened and you can see it cover the back of a spoon, or temperature reaches 170 F take it off the heat. Pour the curd through the mesh sieve into the butter. Stir until butter has melted and is fully incorporated. Add the water and starch and stir to combine.
- When the crust is ready, pour the filling in and return it to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, until it only jiggles slightly in the center.
- Let come to room temperature then store in the fridge.
To make the Meringue Topping
- Fill a pot ⅓ of the way with water and set over medium low heat, bring to a simmer. Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl then set it over the pot of simmering water.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir the mix, scraping off the sides of the bowl so it heats evenly. Keep stirring and scraping until you can pinch the mix and detect no sugar granules. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer (the bowl should be very clean, free of any kind of oil), add the cream of tartar and begin whipping.
- Whip the mix on medium speed, adding the salt and vanilla as you go, until it reaches stiff peaks ie. you can turn the whisk upside down and the meringue holds peaks.
- Spread it over the pie and use the back of a spoon to create pretty swirls. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue. Store in the fridge until it’s time to serve. With the meringue on the pie, it won’t last in the fridge more than a day before the meringue starts to leak. You can freeze it but it will change the texture of the meringue.