LEMON MERINGUE PIE - 'Luscious and Lemony Loveliness in a Pie' From: Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons
After trying a few different recipes for the shortcrust and meringue, I ended up with a combination of different elements from different recipes by Mary Berry. I had tried one of her shortcrust pastry recipes for the base, but for this pie I was looking for something softer, more crumbly and light. In the end I think I got a good combination. I was making again for my friend’s birthday (at here request) and she said this was the best she ever had (including my previous attempt). So I am happy with that.
So you are making the pastry casing, then the lemon curd filling and finally the pillows of meringue, and all is baked off in the oven. I didn’t have a cooking blow torch, (I really want one – but can I really trust myself with one?? My long hair and well, me - you can see where I am going with this!) and so it was fine baking in the oven and I got quite descent ‘baked peaks’ that are classic to this pie. I also researched how best to apply the uncooked meringue to the pie and get those aforementioned classic peaks so I hope you will benefit from this to.
What I would suggest though, is once baked, don’t go near the pie. I took all my photos and after that I was clearing up around where the pie was sitting (minding it’s own business), when I dropped a Pioneer Woman travel tumbler into one side of the meringue! So I lost some of the peaks at the back of it. One of my friend’s said the Pioneer Woman was wanting a taste! SO, the moral of the story - leave the pie be and don’t go anywhere near it!
Luscious Lemon Loveliness
A note on the ingredients - Caster Sugar can be hard to find in the states & Canada (called Super/extra fine sugar), but some people have been finding it, including a brand called Domino (extra fine crystals) also called Baker’s Sugar. If you can’t source it, don’t go to the bother & expense of buying it on-line, make your own. You can make it from regular granulated sugar by lightly grinding it to a finer crystal. Please be sure not to make it into a powder like confectioner’s sugar (known as icing sugar in the UK). Also note that US granulated sugar is a slightly finer texture than the UK equivalent, so only a little grinding is required.
Photo 1 - Icing/confections (Left), Caster Sugar (middle) & Granulated Sugar (UK, right)
See Photo 1 above for a comparison of the sugar crystals as a guide. In some bakes using granulated sugar as is, will not ruin the bake but not produce a precisely similar bake in texture to how the original recipe was meant to be. However, using granulated sugar as is when making a meringue, will not be technically correct & you may be aware of the larger sugar crystals if it produces a more ‘grainy’ meringue texture when tasted. It is also used in the lemon curd recipe, (but I haven’t made with granulated before so can’t say for sure if it’s needed or if the granulated sugar would ok once melted down) so worth while making your own finer sugar. Other than that, I think we are all set and anything else will be covered in the recipe instructions. Happy baking.
INGREDIENTS - PASTRY
225g Plain Flour (1 + ¾ cup All Purpose)
175g Butter, cubed & softened ( ¾ cup + 1 tsp)
45g Icing sugar ( 1/3 cup Confectioner’s Sugar)
1 Egg, medium – large
1 Egg yolk (left over from the meringue, for egg wash)
1 tbsp Cold water
INGREDIENTS – LEMON CURD
6 Lemons, zest & juice of 250g Caster Sugar (1 Cup + 2 tbsp Extra/super Fine Sugar *see note above) 65g Corn Flour (2 1/4 oz / ½ cup Corn starch) 6 Egg yolks 450ml Water (1+ 3/4 cup or 16 fl oz)
INGREDIENTS – MERINGUE
4 Egg whites (left over from lemon curd) 225g Caster Sugar (1 cup Extra/super fine Sugar, * see note above) 2 tsp Corn Flour (Corn Starch)
EQUIPMENT
Weighing scales or measuring cups Food processor or Pastry Cutter & Large bowl. Measuring Spoons Baking/parchment Paper Rolling Pin & some icing/confectioner's sugar Pie dish (23cm/9 inches wide) Mini pie or tart tins/dishes (optional - for left overs) Cling film/Plastic wrap (optional) Tin/Baking foil (aluminum) or parchment Silicone Baking Beans (or dry beans) Timer or phone timer Oil or butter for pie dish Pastry brush Small bowls for separating egg yolks & whites Fine zester Knife Fruit juice squeezer Spoons Medium sized cooking pot Wooden spoon Whisk Small bowls for sugar & yolks Hand or stand mixer for meringue with whisk attachment.
INSTRUCTIONS - PASTRY
Photo 2 - Pastry cutter, butter & Flour
1. Using a processor, blitz the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. My processor wasn’t working, so I used my pastry cutter (see Photo 2) to literally ‘cut’ the flour into butter. Mix the butter into the flour until coated in flour.
Photo 3 - Mixture like 'breadcrumbs'.
Now using the pastry cutter push down and twist it left and right, scrapping against the bottom of the bowl. Keep repeating this motion until all the butter is in smaller pieces and completely coated in flour and the size of breadcrumbs.
See Photo 3.
Photo 4 - Adding the sugar & egg.
2. Add the icing/confectioner’s sugar, egg & 1 tbsp water.
See Photo 4.
Photo 5 - Squeezing the dough till it comes together.
3. Using the processor, or by hand, combine all the ingredients together until it all comes together in a rough ball shape. When doing by hand, once all mixed in, keep squeezing the mixture between your fingers until it starts coming together.
See photo 5. Please ignore my old and alien looking hands. I can’t get new nice ones!
Photo 6 - Dough ready & formed into a disc
4. Form the dough into a nice smooth ball and then flatten slightly (this makes rolling out easier later). See Photo 6. Now I recommend chilling the dough before rolling it out for any pastry you make even if the recipe doesn’t instruct you to. Chilling is important to relax the dough as well as firming it a little to enable easier rolling and less spreading once baking. So, once you have a nice disc shape, either wrap up in baking/parchment paper or some cling film/plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the baking dish you are using by greasing it well on the bottom and up the sides.
Photo 7 - Loose bases bottom of tin used to measure out the rolled out dough.
6. On baking/parchment paper, (and a dusting of icing/confectioners sugar if the dough is sticky), roll out the pastry dough with a rolling pin covered in the sugar, to a 3-4 mm (1/6 inch) thickness. Hold the baking dish over the rolled-out dough to make sure you have rolled a large enough diameter to fit the dish as well as up the sides.
See Photo 7.
Photo 8 - Pastry flipped over on top of the pie dish.
7. With one hand on top of the dough, flip it, including the paper upside down and hold over the pie dish
(see photo 8).
Photo 9 - Peeling back the paper.
8. Let it sit evenly on the dish, and very carefully start to pull back the edges of the paper.
See Photo 9.
Photo 10 - fitting the pastry into the pie dish
9. With most of the paper still attached, use this to gently push the pastry into the dish to take on it’s shape, pushing gently up the insides.
See Photo 10.
Photo 11 - Fitting with a ball of dough.
10. Now remove all the paper. If any of the dough is not fitted all the way into the shape of the case, tear a small piece of the overhanging dough and roll into a ball. Use this to push against the pastry, pushing it into the shape of the tin .
See Photo 11.
Photo 12 - Trimmed & stretched dough.
11. Now trim off the excess pastry, by either using a knife or a rolling pin to run over the top of the tin edges. Then thin the top of the edges of the pastry casing making it extend higher than the level of the tin, by 2 or 3 mm (1/8 inch). This ensures we have a deep enough casing to hold the lemon curd, that will inevitably shrink a little whilst baking. See Photo 12.
12. Using a fork, pierce lots of holes over the base of the pastry casing. (This helps avoid a 'soggy bottom' and is know as 'docking the pastry'). Now place some cling film/plastic wrap on top of the prepared tin and chill for another 20 minutes.
** You can use the left over pastry to make mini pies with small pie or tart tins. Roll out the scraps of excess pastry and line the tins as before and chill them too. Otherwise, roll them up and wrap well in cling film/plastic wrap and place in a food bag. Label it and date it and store in the freezer. Anytime you have anymore scraps, you can add to it and eventually have enough for a pie.
13. Before the chilling time is up, heat up the oven to: 180/160c Fan Oven / 350f /Gas Mark 4.
Photo 13 - 'Blind baking' the casing
14. Cut some baking foil (aluminum foil) or baking paper/parchment, bigger than the size of the pie case. We will use it to line the pastry case that we will fill with baking beans. (Baking without the pie filling is known as 'blind baking' and helps get an evenly cooked bake). If using paper, scrunch the paper up into a ball first and then open it back out (this makes the paper softer with no sharp edges that can jag into the soft pastry dough). Line the case with the paper or foil and then place ceramic baking beans on top of the lining. See Photo 13. (You don't need to but they beans, I use uncooked dried beans and keep them in a jar to use again at a later date). These beans will provide weight to keep the pastry bottom down whilst cooking and not allow it to puff up. Try to have enough paper/foil to cover over the edges of the
pastry case. If you don't have enough, simply apply egg wash (as directed in step 16 below). (** If baking extra mini pies, blind bake the cases for only 8 minutes).
15. Bake the pastry case for 15 minutes & try to turn the pie half way through cooking to ensure even baking. (** If baking extra mini pies, blind bake the cases for 8 minutes).
Photo 14 - After 'blind baking'.
16. Remove the pie from the oven, and fold the paper/foil into the centre and cover all the beans, so you can remove them all in one go. If any fall into the soft pastry, remove with a fork and smooth the pastry back down.
See Photo 14.
Photo 15 - 'Egg wash' for the pastry casing.
Using the left over egg yolks from the meringue ingredients, whisk with a fork and apply this as an 'egg wash' to all exposed areas of the pastry.
See Photo 15. Put back in the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes.
.
Photo 16 - Pastry casing ready for filling.
17. Place the pie on a baking tray/sheet to catch any drips of filling later, and let the case cool while you make the filling.
See Photo 16.
INSTRUCTIONS - LEMON CURD
Photo 1B - Lemon zest, juice & corn flour (corn starch) mixed together.
1. In a bowl, mix the lemon zest (boy it takes a lot of zest), lemon juice and the corn flour/starch together. (Note that if your lemons were smaller than mine, you may have more of a paste consistency at this stage - that's fine)
See photo 1B.
Photo 2B - Lemon mixture thickening.
2. Measure out 450ml ( 1+ 3/4 cups/ 14 fl oz) of water into a pan and bring to a boil (used nearly boiled water and save some time).
Add the lemon mixture you made before and keep stirring until the whole mixture thickens.
See Photo 2B.
Photo 3B - Sugar & Egg Yolks.
3. In another bowl mix the caster sugar & egg yolks together until fully combined.
See Photo 3B.
Whisk this sugar and egg mixture into the lemon mixture.
Photo 4B - Mixture thickening again.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and heat it all through until the mixture thickens again. See photo 4B.
5. Leave off the heat for a few minutes before pouring the lemon curd into the pie casing. There will be left over curd you can keep in the fridge!
INSTRUCTIONS - MERINGUE
1. In a hand or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. See Photo 1C for how those peaks should look. The left photo is over-whisking for too long. But don't worry, just continue to whisk until you get peaks and texture like in the photo on the right. You want it to be firm, but will bend just a little and produce a little curl like in the photo. This is known as 'soft peaks'.
Photo 1C - Whisking egg whites to 'soft peaks' (right). Over-mixed (left).
2. Add in the sugar, 1 table spoon or dessert spoon at a time whilst whisking, until stiffer peaks and glossy in appearance. Add in the corn flour (starch) and mix through.
3. Heat up the oven to a slightly lower temperature of 170/150c fan oven / 325f /Gas Mark 3.
Photo 2C - Applying meringue to outer edges.
4. Using a dessert spoon, place heaped spoonfuls of meringue onto the pie, around the outside edges of the pie (trying to cover the area where the lemon curd begins. This helps seal it in whilst baking).
See Photo 2C.
Photo 3C - Applying the meringue.
5. Work your way into the middle and heap it higher as you get towards the centre.
See Photo 3C.
(You can use it all for a 'mile high meringue', or do as I did - keep a little back for topping 2 mini pies as there will be left over pastry dough and lemon curd).
Photo 4C - Creaking meringue 'Peaks'.
6. Using the back of a spoon, rub on the meringue and pull up on it upwards and then towards yourself as you reach the top of the meringue. Repeat this action all around where you would like peaks to form.
See Photo 4C.
7. If you made extra mini pie cases, fill with left over lemon curd and spoon meringue on top, sealing the edges and swirling the spoon to produce a tall peak in the centre.
Photo 5C - Baked Lemon Meringue Pie
8. Bake the pie(s) for 15 minutes (turning once during cooking to ensure even browning of the peaks), until all completely set and the meringue peaks are golden or browned.
See Photo 5C, 6C. Note the mini pies will require a shorter baking time, so keep an eye on them (probably 8-10 minutes).
Allow to cool before cutting.
Photo 6C - Baked Lemon Meringue Pies.
ENJOY & happy baking!
Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons