What do you do when your other half sees cheap lemons in the supermarket? Aside from sighing and rolling your eyes! I am not a fan of lemon based dishes but I couldn’t see the lemons go to waste. Lemon Meringue Pie is my least favourite dessert and one of my husbands favourites. His plan was dastardly and successful 😂 Not one but two pies!! I have never made anything similar to the filling and the meringue scared me a little. I passed completely on making the pastry that came from the original recipe. The pre-made pastry cases are only £1.10 per case and it seemed silly (I’m lazy!!) to go through all the blind baking etc so this is the recipe exactly as I made it. Read the recipe thoroughly before planning, I didn’t and didn’t realise the time required for cooling. Pudding at 8pm! I made 2 pies because I didn’t have the confidence in splitting the recipe. You can try making the bigger pie with your own pastry or ready to roll pastry.
Lemon Meringue Pie
using x2 pre-made sweet pastry cases.
Ingredients
for the filling:
- 2 level tbsp cornflour
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 2 large lemons, zested
- 125ml fresh lemon juice, strained (from 2-3 lemons)
- 1 small orange, juiced and strained
- 85g butter, cut into pieces
- 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg (I used medium sized eggs)
for the meringue
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
Method
- Prepare the filling. Mix the cornflour, golden caster sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice gradually. Make the orange juice up to 200ml with water and pour into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted. Beat the egg yolks (save white for meringue) and the whole egg together, stir into the pan and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon. (It will bubble, but doesn’t curdle.) Take off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue.
- Prepare the meringue. Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add 100g of the golden caster sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the remaining 100g of sugar as before until smooth and thick.
- Quickly reheat the filling and pour it into the pastry cases. Immediately put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling (if you start in the middle, the meringue may sink), then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl.
- Return to the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 30 mins-1 hr before slicing.
Recipe: BBC Good Food Ultimate Lemon Meringue Pie
Photograph: M Campbell