This week I’m keeping things real simple with my take on a classic lemon meringue pie – a real classic but all-round crowd pleaser. Whats not to like?
If for some reason you’re not sure what a lemon meringue is, I’ll tell you. You start with a sweet pastry case, which is filled with a luscious zesty lemon filling and topped with toasted meringue – sounds good right?
This is the perfect dessert to enjoy on a warm day as it’s not heavy or stodgy, it light and airy, which makes this perfect to enjoy any time of day! If you’re a fan of lemon, this pie may just be the one for you as the lemon filling certain packs a lemony punch.
To achieve the toasted marshmallow, I used a chefs blowtorch but if you don’t have one, don’t worry – you can just place it back into the oven until its golden brown (just don’t leave it in there for too long, otherwise it’ll ruin the pie).
Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?
Ingredients:
Lemon filling –
100g granulated sugar.
2 tbsp cornflour.
Zest of 3 large lemons.
125ml lemon Juice
100-150ml water.
85g butter.
3 egg yolks.
1 whole egg.
Meringue topping –
4 egg whites.
200g granulated sugar.
2 tsp cornflour.
1 tsp vanilla extract.
Method:
Before you get started on this recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by making your pastry, I already have a recipe for shortcrust pastry, weighing up all of your ingredients and get any other bits of equipment such as a saucepan and a whisk. Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f.
Start by rolling out the pastry and draping it over your pie dish, pressing into place, then you can trim away the excess, not forgetting to dock the base of the pastry case, so it doesn’t rise while baking.
Place a sheet of parchment paper into the case and fill with rice or baking beans.
Now you can place this into your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes before removing from the oven and removing the rice/baking bean and then place back into the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes – by the end the case should be golden brown.
Allow the pastry case to chill completely and then make a start on your lemon filling.
Take a saucepan and place in the lemon zest, cornflour and sugar, mixing them together until they are combined. You can then add in the lemon juice and whisk until fully incorporated ad repeat the same process when you add in the water.
Place this onto the hob over a medium heat and whisk until everything is combined and the mixture is hot – the mixture may have thickened ever so slightly. Once you reach this stage, remove from the heat and add in your butter, whisking until its fully incorporated.
You will notice the mixture thickens up and becomes glossy – this is normal and what you’re looking for.
Once you achieve this consistency, you can go ahead and remove it from the heat and add in the egg yolks and egg and whisk profusely until they are fully incorporated. Place back on the heat and mix together until the mixture thickens a little more and the eggs are cooked out.
Now take the baked pastry case and pour the lemon filling. Then allow this to cool, cool enough to place into the fridge and allow to set.
Whenever that is ready, you can make the meringue (which is super easy). Take a sparkling clean mixing bowl and add in the egg whites, whisk them on a medium-high speed until they reach a frothy consistency.
Gradually add your sugar, roughly a tablespoon at a time, whisking well in-between each addition. Once all of the sugar has been added, feel the meringue mixture and if you feel any granules of sugar, continue to whisk until its smooth.
Add in the cornflour and whisk until its fully incorporated, then repeat the process with the vanilla extract.
Top your lemon pastry case with the meringue and create a rounded dome with some peaks. You can then use a blowtorch and lightly scorch the meringue and if you don’t have one, simply place it back into the oven until the meringue has coloured all over.
Leave for a short while, then slice up and enjoy. There is my take on a simple lemon meringues which always hits the sweet spot – so if you’re a fan of lemon, this is the treat for you!
That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.
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