Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie brings optimism to an early spring and refreshment to hot summers. Like a Lemon Curd but lighter, sliceable, topped with a meringue that entices the extra fork-ful. Lemon Meringues can be tricky, but a good Lemon Meringue Pie is ambrosia. You will love this one.
Have you tried to make a Lemon Meringue Pie and ended up with a runny filling that just didn’t want to firm up for slicing? Oh yeah, the terrors of taking that first slice and wondering whether you would be proud or embarrassed by your creation. I get you! I did some studying up on the chemistry of this pie and found a brilliant way to get consistent, predictably sliceable Lemon Meringue Pie filling – without using gelatin.
Note: Many thanks to www.notsohumblepie.com for her dedication in explaining the chemical workings of what makes a Lemon Meringue Pie tick. I direct you to her blog to get a fuller understanding of why you need to pay attention to the interactions of lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and fats. It’s an enjoyable read if you’re up for it!
Notes and Tips:
- Be sure to use a non-reactive saucepan to cook the filling for this pie. Using an aluminum, copper or iron pot will result in dark streaks in the filling, as the acid content reacts and becomes discolored. Opt for stainless steel or non-stick pots.
- Trust the timing on this filling! If you’re skeptical, spoon a tablespoon full into a small dish and let it cool. The timing of the final cooking step is key, but it gives you a wonderful firm yet silky filling.
- The crust for this Lemon Meringue pie should be my Flakiest Pie Crust. Before rolling out the crust you may want to crush some graham crackers, then roll the crust out on them. This ups the flavor quotient of every slice.
- Use the meringue from my recipe Meringue That’s Hard to Mess Up! It’s an Italian meringue that is sweet and rich and does not depend on being baked to cook the egg whites. Just run it into a hot oven or under the broiler to brown.
Like a Lemon Curd but lighter, sliceable, topped with a meringue that entices the extra fork-ful. Lemon Meringues can be tricky, but a good Lemon Meringue Pie is ambrosia. You will love this one.
- 1 Fully Baked Pie Shell
- 1 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 6 Eggs (Large, lightly beaten)
- 2 tbsp Lemon Zest (about 1 lemon)
- 1/2 cup Lemon Juice (Fresh, 2 - 3 Lemons)
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 Italian Meringue Recipe (See recipe)
- In a medium, non-reactive saucepan mix sugar and cornstarch, then 1/2 cup of the water, egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk until completely combined.
- In a small saucepan bring the remaining 1 cup of water to a boil.
Whisking briskly, slowly add the boiling water to the lemon/egg mixture.- Bring the combined ingredients to a low bubble over medium high heat, whisking
Immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer until temperature reaches 155° F (no more than 1 minute!)
- Remove from heat and gently stir in butter. Filling will be loose -- trust your technique! Pour immediately into prepared pie shell and set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 375°F or set to Broil.
Prepare meringue and top pie, making swirls and peaks.
Be sure to cover the entire pie evenly with meringue, checking to be sure there are no air pockets and especially covering the crust edges.
Because there will be some shrinkage after you brown the meringue you will want to get the meringue edges to "hug" the crust edges, so they will not pull away from the sides.
Bake pie on top rack for 4 - 8 minutes if baking.
Place pie on top rack to broil for 2 - 3 minutes.
Watch closely for browning! Remove pie immediately once it has achieved the desired golden brown color.
My suggested recipe is for an Italian Meringue, which cooks the egg whites with hot sugar. There is no need to bake this meringue for safety. Browning simply makes this meringue beautiful! If you are using a classic French Meringue recipe you will need to follow those directions to ensure you have cooked the egg whites sufficiently.Allow pie to cool completely before serving but no longer than two hours before refrigerating.
Refrigerate pie, using long toothpicks spaced around the meringue and a loose covering (so the toothpicks don't poke through) of plastic wrap all around the pie.