Lemon Meringue Pie
I love the combination of this Lemon Meringue Pie that is both sweet, because of the meringue, and tart, because of the lemon filling—when you take a bite: it's just so good! It's truly a refreshing summer recipe and a classic in my opinion. I find the flavors of this dessert are even better after letting the pie cool completely.This recipe easily yields 6 generous portions.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 10 tbsp very cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 tbsp ice water
Lemon Filling
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Note: use juice from fresh lemons only, about 4 to 5 lemons. Do not use lemon juice concentrate.
- 3 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups water
Meringue
- 6 egg whites
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a food processor, mix the flour, powdered sugar, and butter. When the texture becomes slightly crumbly, add the tablespoons of ice water and continue mixing. When a dough ball starts to form, stop the food processor and form a ball with your hands.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface and lightly flour both the surface and the rolling pin.
- Roll out the dough with the rolling pin and place it into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges with a knife and make a decorative edge if desired. Then, poke small holes in the bottom of the crust using a fork. Place parchment paper inside the crust and fill with dried beans (or uncooked pasta).
- Tip: If you want proper pie weights, here’s a link to buy some! I now use these weights to prepare my pie crusts!
- Bake at 390°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the parchment paper and weights, and bake for another 10 minutes until the crust is golden.
Lemon Filling
- Place the flour, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water in a saucepan.
- Whisk constantly. About 2 to 3 minutes after the mixture begins to boil, it will start to thicken. Lower the heat and temper the egg yolks: take a ladleful of the hot mixture and slowly whisk it into the yolks. Repeat 2–3 times, then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan.
- Tip: Be sure to stir the lemon filling mixture occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Tip: Tempering the eggs is very important, otherwise you risk ending up with scrambled yolks!
- Next, add the butter and stir until the lemon filling is smooth. Transfer the filling to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool in the refrigerator.
Meringue
- Whisk the egg whites with a mixer until they form a light white foam.
- Very, very, very gradually, add the granulated sugar (about 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time), continuing to mix with the mixer.
- Continue mixing until the mixture becomes glossy and white.
- Tip: You’ll get fairly stiff peaks when you lift the whisk.
Assembly
- Pour the lemon filling into the baked pie shell and then add the meringue. Use a Wilton #126 piping tip to make rows of small waves on top of the filling.
- Tip: To see how I do the meringue decoration, check out my video on YouTube. I also include a link to find the Wilton #125 piping tip I use.
- Tip: If you're not comfortable using a piping tip, you can make small peaks using a spoon.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Tip: If you find your meringue isn't golden enough after baking, you can lightly torch the top with a small butane torch.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Video
Notes
I’d also like to share a few tips and tricks to help you succeed with your meringue:
- Use room temperature egg whites.
- Use only utensils and a bowl that are very clean.
- Be careful that no egg yolks "sneak into" your egg whites.
- Use an electric mixer.
- Incorporate the sugar very, very, very gradually.
- Add a bit of cream of tartar or lemon juice to stabilize the meringue
Also try my Fruit tart recipe for the summer season!
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