Thursday 25 April 2013

Lemon Meringue Pie


It's been almost a year since my last post but I had a baking bug this week and so I made a Lemon Meringue Pie because it felt like Summer.


I might have already posted a recipe on here but I baked a different one this time. I preferred this recipe by Anna Olson because the flavour of the lemon curd was much less aggressive and thicker. The meringue was also fluffier and the pie itself was much higher and lighter.




For the Pie crust, you can use any pie crust from any recipe including the pre-made frozen ones. Just be sure too cook the crust before you use it. Cook it according to the instructions in the recipe or on the box so until its a nice light golden brown.

Here's the recipe I used and I added 1 tbsp of lemon zest with the lemon juice before adding it to the mix.

Ingredients


Lemon Curd Filling
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Meringue

  • 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

Directions

Lemon Curd Filling


1.   For the filling, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepot, then whisk in the cold water. Have the other ingredients measured and nearby. Bring the sugar mixture up to a full simmer over medium-high heat, whisking as it cooks, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
2.   Pour about a cup of this thickened filling into the egg yolks while whisking, then return this to the pot and whisk just one minute more. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook until the filling just returns to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter then immediately pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell (the filling will seem very fluid, but it will set up once chilled). Cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap to keep it hot. Immediately prepare the meringue topping.
3.   Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy, then increase the speed to high and gradually pour in the granulated sugar and icing sugar and continue whipping just until the whites hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted.

Meringue


1.   Remove the plastic wrap from the hot lemon filling, then dollop half of the meringue directly onto the filling (the filling will still be very soft, so work gently). Be sure to spread the meringue so that it completely covers the lemon filling and connects with the outside crust, then use a bamboo skewer or paring knife to swirl the meringue just a touch (this will secure it to the lemon curd). Dollop the remaining meringue onto the pie and use the back of your spatula to lift up the meringue and creates spikes. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes at 325 F, until the meringue is nicely browned. Cool the meringue completely to room temperature before chilling for at least 4 hours.