Mum's Lemon Meringue Pie

Name: Lemon Meringue Pie
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: PT2.5H
Yield: 8
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 175g white flour; 75g butter; 1 egg; 1 tbsp ice cold water; 100g butter; 225g caster sugar; 3 eggs; 3 lemons – juice and zests; 3 egg whites; 100g caster sugar

Vegetarian

I always loved it when my late grandfather was due for dinner. My mother would, more often than not, whip up his (and my) favourite desert.

Light, foamy, sweet meringue combined with thick, rich and tangy homemade lemon curd make this the ultimate lemon meringue pie and a showstopper at any dinner party. This dessert is perfect for any celebration (I’d take this over a birthday cake).

For this recipe, you will need a 23cm/9” loose-bottom fluted tart tin and some baking beads. In order to make the lemon curd you will need to use a double boiler, or if you don’t have one to hand, you can use a heatproof bowl on top of a sauce pan with a small amount of simmering water. For help with lining a tart tin with pastry, take a look at my how to guide.

2.5h

Serves

Prep

Cook

45m

Total

2.5h

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

175g white flour

75g butter

1 egg

1 tbsp ice cold water

Lemon curd

100g butter

225g caster sugar

3 eggs

3 lemons (juice and zests)

Meringue Topping

3 egg whites

100g caster sugar

Method

To make the pastry, process the butter and flour in a food processor until resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and water then process briefly until combined into a smooth dough. (If you don’t have a food processor you can combine the ingredients by hand and knead until forms smooth dough.)
Lightly flour a cool work surface and roll out your pastry into a circle slightly larger than a 23cm / 9” tart tin.
Flip the pastry over your rolling pin and lift it into your tin. Use your fingers to press the pastry flat over the base and up the sides of the tin. Roll a rolling pin over the top of the tin to cut off any excess pastry leaving an even edge.
Chill the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes. While that’s happening, preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
Cover the pastry with baking paper and spread baking beads over the base of the tart. Bake in the over for 10 minutes before removing the paper and baking beads and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Once the pastry is done, reduce the temperature of your oven to 150ºC/300ºF.
To make the lemon curd, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest into your double boiler/heatproof bowl and heat steadily while constantly stirring. You can do this while the pastry is baking. Once the curd has thickened, tip it into your cooked pastry.
For the meringue topping, whisk up the egg whites until stiff peaks are forming, then whisk in half of the sugar. Fold in the remainder of the sugar before spooning on to your lemon curd filling making sure to cover to the edge.
Place your pie in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden. The top should still be soft and fluffy.
Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes so the centre isn’t too hot and runny. This can be served warm or left to cool completely.