(Meyer) Lemon Meringue Pie

Here is a spectacular dessert in taste and in looks.  From the buttery crust to the silky and light meringue you’ll be in heaven.  I used meyer lemons in this recipe but you could use whatever lemons that you have on hand.  I made the crust first.  I blind baked it in the oven and set it to cool while I made my lemon curd.  While my lemon curd was thickening on the stove I made my meringue. You must try it.  You need to stop what you are doing at this very moment and make this pie. Unless of course you are in the process of something important like fighting world hunger or finding a cure for a disease….then you can make it later.  Or of course if you don’t have lemons then your not going to be able to make this.  I will not permit bottled lemon juice.  I myself buy and use it sometimes in my tea but if you are going to go through the process of making this delicious pie you need to use the REAL stuff and for those of you who want to use margarine instead of the butter……I can’t go there because this is a family friendly site.

Let’s start with the crust…

Crust

2.5 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp of salt

2 tsp of sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) of chilled butter cut into small pieces

1/4 cup of ice water.

Set oven to 400′.  In a food processor add the flour, salt and sugar.  Add the butter all at once and pulse about 10 times.  Turn the processor on and gradually add the ice water until the dough forms a loose ball.  Put your dough quicly into plastic wrap and wrap up tightly and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Once dough has had time to chill roll out of floured surface about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.  Put on your lightly buttered pie plate and blind bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Check often b/c your cook times could be different.  I lay a sheet of foil over my crust add my pie weights to cover the bottom and then bake it so that the dough doesn’t puff up.

(Meyer) Lemon Curd

1/3 of cornstarch

1 1/3 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp of salt

1 1/2 cup of water

4 egg yolks (whites will be used for meringue)

1/2 cup of lemon juice

zest of lemons used for juice

3 tbs of cold butter

In a small saucepan combine constarch, sugar, salt and water.  On medium heat cook untill mixture is slightly thick and clear. Add lemon juice and cook for another minute.  Remove off heat source.  Take your egg yolks and break them up in a small bowl.  Take about a cup of the hot lemon mixture and slowly add it to your egg yolks while constantly whisking so that they eggs don’t cook but cream together smoothly.  Add your egg mixture with the rest of the lemon mixture in the saucepan still whisking so that the eggs don’t cook in chunks we aren’t making scrambled eggs here.  Put your mixture back on the heat and cook for another 2 minutes.  Turn off heat and whisk in lemon zestand butter.

You can start your meringue while the lemon curd is cooking or you can finish making the curd and then start the meringue.  If you aren’t comfortable then do everything seperate so that you don’t risk burning the curd.

Meringue

4 egg whites

1/4 tsp of cream of tartar

1/2 cup hot syrup (1/2 cup of water and 1/2 sugar boiled together until sugar has melted)

3 tbs of sugar

Beat egg whites with your whisk attachment on your mixer until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar and your sugar one tablespoon at a time.  Beat on high until you get soft peaks. Gradually add your hot simple syrup until your peaks stand on their own.  Do not over beat!!  You will know because the mixture will start ot dry up and separate.

On our cooled pie shell spread your lemon curd.  Then you can simply spread on your meringue with an offset spatula or you can pipe it on like I did in the picture above.  Put it in a 400′ oven for about 10-15 minutes.  Watch it while it’s in the oven. You just want the top of your meringue to brown up slightly.  The purpose is to brown the top because the pie itself is cooked already.

Enjoy.